Chapter 41
‘A learned person.’
The total amount of money registered for the mission was substantial. Still, Falcon Eye generously conceded the sponsorship to him without much hesitation.
Was it because Falcon Eye was not greedy for money? Or perhaps because his favorability toward him was exceptionally high?
Or could it be…
‘Does he earn more than I thought?’
According to Un Hyang, Falcon Eye was considered a mid-tier streamer based solely on his stream audience. If you reach the level of Baksu-hyuk, you start to enter the ranks of major streamers, and occasionally, some streamers even surpass an average of 100,000 viewers.
If Falcon Eye was already at this level, just how much were those other streamers earning?
‘I shouldn’t underestimate them.’
While Suhyuk was secretly feeling pleased, Falcon Eye posed a question.
“Will you accept?”
Suhyuk nodded.
“They’re offering to sponsor me, so I should gratefully accept it.”
– Hahaha, yet another victory proclamation
– Is this saying Old Suhyuk is barely worth anything?
– Lee Suhyuk, come out!
The viewers were exhilarated by Suhyuk’s challenge. Viewers crave excitement. From that perspective, a battle between two individuals named Lee Suhyuk was an irresistible thrill.
“Okay, then I’ll commentate. Any objections, guys?”
– Yep
– Otherwise, we’ll just watch and do nothing?
– You’d do it even if we said no
“That’s right. I asked just out of politeness. You know well.”
Falcon Eye, nodding mischievously, asked the viewers who proposed the mission.
“Guys, how many coins should it be? Honestly, one try is too much—.”
“Let’s do it in one try.”
Cutting off Falcon Eye, Suhyuk stretched his shoulders.
“If I lose, I’ll remove my mask immediately.”
– Whoa, whoa
– Whoa…
– If he loses, he’ll…
– Hahaha, what a statement
– It sounded a bit odd, but that was the bet for the mission this time.
Lee Suhyuk’s record. If Suhyuk couldn’t exceed that record, he would have to remove his mask.
“Really? Is one try enough?”
“Yes.”
The result was already decided anyway. Whether it was the second or third try, the outcome wouldn’t change.
“Wow, you sure are bold. Alright then, let’s not waste time and start quickly.”
Beep—
『03:00』
Three minutes.
That was the time given to catch the scarecrows.
“Unfortunately, I only have one coin, so the stream might be shorter. Sorry for those who miss it; you’ll have to watch the recording.”
– Another video cut, damn it
– Is this all staged?
– Seriously over the top
– Though there was some criticism, it wasn’t necessarily bad.
In this scenario, Falcon Eye took even critical comments positively.
‘It means the expectations are high. The only issue is…’
Step-step.
He turned to look at Suhyuk heading toward the scarecrows.
‘Can he meet those expectations in one try?’
If he had more attempts, there would be no worries. Unlike the skeptical viewers, Falcon Eye had complete faith in Suhyuk’s talent and skills. The only problem was the opponent wasn’t easy.
‘I can’t believe he declared he’d do it in one try.’
It was Falcon Eye himself who had set the challenge against Blue Eyes’ Lee Suhyuk. Even so, Falcon Eye wasn’t confident whether Suhyuk could break the record.
The opponent was literally a legend. Someone’s dominance had not been surpassed for over 20 years. Surpassing that record? It was something no one could be sure of.
“I’ll count to three and signal.”
At Falcon Eye’s words, Suhyuk nodded slightly instead of replying.
His gaze changed. As he began summoning thunder, his eyes glinted with a golden hue.
“Let’s do well.”
It was a competition against no one else but his past self.
“I must not lose. And…”
With a deep breath, magic intertwined with the air he exhaled.
“I must not win either.”
Zap-.
『’Lightning’ is activated.』
At that moment.
Zap-!
Suhyuk lunged forward.
『02:59』
*
“The game has started!”
Zap-!
Leaving a trail of yellow magical residue, Suhyuk darted forward. Falcon Eye’s eyes sparkled. It was his first time watching Suhyuk fight in reality, not merely on a stream.
Given the nature of his stream, it was unlikely he’d ever see such a thing again.
Boom-!
The head of the leading scarecrow shattered without the need for a sword, crushed underfoot.
– One shot?
– Why so easy?
Immediate doubt surfaced. Falcon Eye began to commentate.
“The scarecrows increase in strength in the order they appear.”
– Ah
– So, the beginning is easy
“Speak for yourself.”
Boom-!
Suhyuk’s elbow smashed down on another scarecrow’s head. Another head easily crumbled. Programmed to mimic human anatomy, the scarecrow was instantly destroyed.
“Even if the sequence is early, the difficulty isn’t as easy as you think. An average player from the third floor area would struggle to surpass 15.”
Sssk-.
Finally, Suhyuk drew his sword. Simultaneously, a burst of lightning accompanied the action. Falcon Eye’s eyes lit up.
“It begins.”
Swish-.
Quickly, the necks of the scarecrows were severed. Enhancing his mobility, Suhyuk defeated over ten scarecrows in a flash without even taking a proper breath before moving on.
Beep-.
『02:32』
In under 30 seconds, 12 scarecrows had fallen.
Falcon Eye’s eyes wavered.
‘Could this be…?’
– So fast?
– Realistically, at this speed, even 70 is possible
– Nn, it gets harder the further you go
– That’s why I said theoretically
– But still, maybe?
As he surpassed the tenth, the pace noticeably slowed down.
Weapons flew at him from all directions. Spearheads targeted him, arrows aimed at his head.
And at that moment.
Zap-.
Gathering lightning at his toes, Suhyuk leaped, stepping on a scarecrow’s head.
– Wow
– Seeing this again here lolol
– Is this a circus? lol
– Wasn’t aerial combat Suhyuk’s forte originally?
Jumping off the heads of giants before, now Suhyuk leaped upwards using the heads of scarecrows. He swiftly escaped the range of the weapons aimed at him from all sides. After a high leap, Suhyuk surveyed the area below.
With all his might, he prepared to swing his sword. Diving into the midst of the scarecrows, Suhyuk launched his attack.
Boom-!
Lightning gathered at the tip of his sword exploded, sweeping the scarecrows away. The power was impressive, but the speed was even more remarkable.
Falcon Eye glanced at the remaining time.
『01:22』
『Scarecrows Defeated: 29』
Now, he needed to defeat 14 more to surpass Lee Suhyuk’s record of 43.
The scarecrows became more challenging as the count rose, but the pace was beyond expectations.
“Could he really…?”
A mix of bewilderment and anticipation spilled from Falcon Eye’s lips.
His eyes, entranced, followed Suhyuk’s movements.
Zap-!
Crack-!
The sword was halfway through a scarecrow before being stopped. Bodies became sturdier. For the first time since the trial began, weapons flew at him from all directions in this brief pause.
Psshh-.
Ssshh-.
A spear grazed his cheek, narrowly cutting it. Despite this, he advanced further instead of retreating.
Bam-.
He drew the sword embedded in the scarecrow’s neck, simultaneously kicking its head. With a crunch, like a tree falling, the scarecrow’s neck broke.
Beep-.
『Scarecrows Defeated: 30』
– Another scarecrow was added to the tally.
– At this rate, second place is guaranteed!
– Could he actually do it?
– Bet-makers are screwed, hahaha
– One try, let’s go~~~!!
– Tick, tick-.
Time trickled away. Higher-ranked scarecrows didn’t fall easily. The lightning’s speed increased, and the destructive power grew stronger. Falcon Eye watched Suhyuk’s movements without missing a beat.
‘…This is strange.’
Zap-.
Watching Suhyuk leap into the air, Falcon Eye felt a peculiar sense of alienation. It was intense. With no moments to rest, he moved relentlessly, swinging his sword with perfectly coordinated moves.
It felt almost like watching a meticulously scripted play; Suhyuk’s movements were flawless. That was the reason. The reason for the sense of discord in this fight.
‘Why does it feel different?’
Boom-!
With the sound of thunder, the trial neared its end.
『Scarecrows Defeated: 41』
『00:13』
Crackle-.
Thirteen seconds remained.
Only three more scarecrows to break Lee Suhyuk’s record.
The rapid-fire chat slowed noticeably. Viewers, sensing the historic moment, focused intently on the stream.
Suhyuk cut down another scarecrow, turning his gaze to the last one.
‘This isn’t easy.’
Crackle-.
With a struggling sound, his sword embedded itself in the tough neck of the final scarecrow.
‘This makes forty-three.’
『Scarecrows Defeated: 43』
『The trial has concluded.』
『Record is being registered.』
『1st Place: Lee Suhyuk』
『1st Place: Lee Suhyuk』
A tie for first place.
The same number of scarecrows had been defeated. Lee Suhyuk remained in first place, and simultaneously, Suhyuk was newly registered as first place.
At that moment.
The momentarily quieted chat flared up in excitement.
– What?
– 43??
– Wow, insane lol
– He actually did it lolololol
– I can’t believe he really did it
– If only he had taken one more down…
The chat surged so fast it was impossible to read all the messages. Falcon Eye, glancing at Suhyuk catching his breath behind his mask, hurriedly resumed the stream.
“F… Forty-three! A tie with Lee Suhyuk!”
Falcon Eye, unable to hide his excitement, spoke rapidly.
“The content of Lee Suhyuk versus Lee Suhyuk ends in a tie! Wow, what a close one! How was it, guys?”
– Amazing, no words needed
– I thought he’d come in second!
– Honestly, I didn’t expect even second place
– Seriously, what was this unknown guy?
– Suhyuk’s stream was not very well-known.
He had viewers in the thousands, but streamers with such numbers were numerous. Furthermore, his career wasn’t long. Thus, this collaboration was a significant turning point for Suhyuk.
『’ThunderCocoCola’ has donated 100 points.』
『Incredible… Subscribing right away.』
『’FeetWiperFalconEye’ has donated 200 points.』
『LOL, Falcon Eye going all out, this is intense.』
『’TastelessHill’ has donated 1,000 points.』
Donations poured in.
While Suhyuk caught his breath, Falcon Eye quickly responded to the donations.
“ThunderCocoCola, thanks for the 100 points. FeetWiperFalconEye… I told you to change that nickname. Anyway, thanks. Is this Lee Suhyuk’s stream? No, you’re in the wrong place.”
The flow of donations didn’t stop. For a streamer, the frequency of donations was as important as the number of viewers. Donations represented both the streamer’s income and the viewers’ loyalty.
‘If it’s this much now, what would the reaction have been if he had broken the record?’
While continuing the stream, Falcon Eye kept glancing at Suhyuk. In his mind, the image of Suhyuk’s movements replayed over and over.
‘No matter how I think about it, something feels off. No, should I say… unnatural?’
He couldn’t explain it in words. But throughout the scarecrow fight, Falcon Eye felt a peculiar sense of discord. Perhaps the viewers watching the stream didn’t feel it.
The small screen and the inability to capture subtle movements made a difference between watching it live and on a stream.
‘Could it be just my imagination…?’
Just as he was thinking that.
『’Reinhardt’ has donated 10,000 points.』
A donation of 10,000 points. Along with it, the name that appeared made Falcon Eye’s eyes widen.
‘Reinhardt?’