Chapter 42
10,000 points.
It was an amount seldom seen outside of major streamers. But more captivating than the amount was the donor’s name.
– Reinhardt?
– Is it really him?
– Must be a fake.
– Why would the kf come here?
– If it’s the real First Sword, this is insane!
Reinhardt.
To Lee Suhyuk’s fans, he was better known as the ‘First Sword’. A ranker, but also one of the few who streamed as a hobby.
– No, it’s legit.
– Yeah, it’s really him. Checked his stream station.
– Big player incoming.
– Whether he’s a big or mid-tier player, does it matter? It’s Reinhardt.
The chat exploded like gasoline on a fire. Momentarily stunned, Falcon Eye saw this as a golden opportunity and quickly spoke up.
“Rein-Reinhardt-nim, thank you for the 10,000 points donation! Wow, what brings a ranker to my stream?”
『’Reinhardt’ has donated 1,000 points.』
『I’ve been enjoying your streams, Falcon Eye. Today’s play by Lee Suhyuk was very impressive.』
“Thank you for the 1,000 points! You’re incredibly generous. You’ve been watching my streams? That’s an honor.”
Falcon Eye beamed as he carried on the conversation with Reinhardt. For Falcon Eye, a mid-tier streamer, the appearance of a ranker like Reinhardt was a huge boon. It promised compelling content and potential traction in the community, not to mention a substantial increase in points.
The same went for Suhyuk. Ranker Reinhardt, though called the ‘First Sword’ disparagingly, was a high-profile figure. His acknowledgment would certainly benefit Suhyuk’s stream.
However.
‘Why is he here?’
Suhyuk, behind his mask, frowned. He knew Reinhardt’s personality well. Petty, brimming with inferiority, and conceited—all traits of a scumbag.
Regardless of public perception, this was Suhyuk’s assessment of Reinhardt.
Moreover.
‘Isaac, that bastard died just a few days ago.’
A normal father would still be mourning. Instead, Reinhardt was donating to another’s stream—not a normal circumstance.
‘Why is he here? Did he suspect I killed Isaac?’
Though he considered the worst-case scenario, the likelihood was extremely low. The most plausible reason remained Reinhardt’s ‘inferiority complex’.
‘It bothers him.’
The First Sword.
An inextricably linked nickname to Reinhardt.
Even after 20 years, the name persisted, likely a complex for him. A new Lee Suhyuk emerging would be an enticing target for such an insecure individual.
『’Reinhardt’ has donated 1,000 points.』
『Lee Suhyuk, would you be interested in a collaborative stream?』
It was his fifth donation already. With Suhyuk’s silence, Reinhardt blatantly used donations to communicate.
A collaborative stream.
Clearly, that was Reinhardt’s objective.
– A collab???
– Wow, this is big.
– The First Sword for real?
Voices of anticipation filled the chat. Falcon Eye’s viewers seemed to include quite a few of Reinhardt’s.
However.
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”
Suhyuk’s response was lukewarm.
“I have events on the third floor and plan to focus on the trial for a while…”
His glance strayed off-screen to where Un Hyang and John Dale stood. Especially John Dale, who was vigorously signaling X with his hands.
Sorry, but it couldn’t be helped.
“I’m sorry, but let’s schedule the collab another time. I’ll reach out to you.”
***
Cleaning up the chaotic atmosphere fell to Falcon Eye. By declining Reinhardt’s invitation, Suhyuk had offloaded all the responsibility onto him.
“So I guess my role here is done.”
“What? No, Suhyuk, wait a moment….”
Falcon Eye sighed mid-sentence. Indeed, Suhyuk’s part in this content had concluded. Additionally, the results were stellar.
Wrapping things up was Falcon Eye’s task now — and dealing with the fallout of rejecting Reinhardt’s proposal, which had inflamed viewer sentiments.
Suhyuk walked over to Un Hyang. Falcon Eye’s chatter with the chat was no longer of interest to him. John Dale looked on the verge of tears.
“Why did you reject it?”
John Dale’s role was to support Suhyuk’s stream, ensuring its success. He couldn’t bear the thought of wasting such an opportunity that had practically fallen into their laps.
“It was a chance.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Collaborating with a ranker isn’t an easy feat.”
Un Hyang chimed in, also feeling disappointed in her capacity as manager. Even with the company’s concerted efforts, such opportunities were rare. Yet, Suhyuk had willingly turned it down.
“If that’s the case, it doesn’t matter.”
But Suhyuk showed no sign of regret.
“I’ll become a ranker myself anyway.”
His primary content was climbing the tower.
A ranker? Compared to what he had to achieve, becoming a ranker was just a stepping stone.
Growing the stream was important, but meeting Reinhardt now was not a wise move.
‘With Isaac’s incident and all, there’s no benefit in facing that scumbag now.’
Suhyuk knew he wasn’t the Lee Suhyuk of the past. Back then, Reinhardt had been defeated in one strike and earned the ‘First Sword’ nickname, but he was still a ranker.
In his current form, Suhyuk couldn’t protect himself if Reinhardt showed his true colors.
‘It’s best to avoid him for now.’
About thirty minutes later. Falcon Eye finally ended the stream and returned, exhausted.
“Good job.”
“You too.”
Un Hyang handed Falcon Eye a bottle of water. Falcon Eye downed it, thanking her.
“Phew. My god, I was sweating bullets. I must have seen a thousand messages asking for Suhyuk to come out.”
“I apologize.”
“No worries. Thanks to you, the donations exploded! We got great footage too.”
Even after Suhyuk left, Reinhardt proposed the collab multiple times. With each proposal, he donated 1,000 points. In total, Reinhardt alone had donated 17,000 points.
Furthermore, Reinhardt’s presence spurred additional donations, making the stream very lucrative in a short time.
“I’ll share today’s donation and video revenue with you. You did great.”
“I didn’t do much.”
“Short but impactful, wasn’t it? I didn’t expect you to match the record…”
Falcon Eye trailed off, giving a thumbs-up. Suhyuk, used to compliments, nodded and asked a question.
“About the videos, what do you mean?”
“Videos? Oh, you mean the edited clips that go up on Players?”
“Yes. Are they profitable too?”
Suhyuk knew streamers made a lot of money, but he didn’t know much about the video aspect.
“A lot. Especially for someone like me.”
“Like you?”
“Feedback content tends to be short. But it’s easy to clip into a video. Roughly speaking, I make about five times as much from videos as I do from donations.”
“Five times…?”
The revenue was far higher than expected. He had assumed it was supplementary at best.
“For someone like you, the video revenue would be comparable or slightly higher than donations. Impressive, right?”
“Yes. It’s beyond expectations.”
“For details, you can ask this guy. Isn’t that what the company is for?”
Falcon Eye pointed at John Dale, who still looked regretful about missing the collab with Reinhardt.
“I’ll contact you once the video goes up.”
Barely finishing his statement, “Since I answered your question, may I ask one?”
As if he’d been waiting, Falcon Eye asked,
“Your fighting seemed a bit off. Were you not feeling well or injured?”
“Uh….”
Un Hyang widened her eyes at Suhyuk, having watched the trial closely like Falcon Eye, feeling a similar sense of unease. Subtle awkwardness here and there. Something you couldn’t catch on a stream but could notice in person.
‘Did it show?’
Suhyuk smacked his lips in regret. He had tried to be inconspicuous, but Falcon Eye’s keen eye had seen through it.
True.
His sharp perceptions alone had allowed him to succeed as a streamer.
“In the end, it’s a loss whether I win or lose.”
Suhyuk finally answered.
“Why would that be?”
“My stream rides on the aura of Lee Suhyuk. If I win, I’ll gain that aura but tarnish Lee Suhyuk’s legend.”
The legendary player, Lee Suhyuk. Though it was his own name, Suhyuk needed that legend.
“Losing is a problem too. It would solidify the belief that ‘streamer Lee Suhyuk falls short compared to the real one’. So, in this trial, I needed to create a result where neither character of Lee Suhyuk was harmed.”
The best result for that purpose. That was precisely this.
“A tie. This is just right.”
Un Hyang, Falcon Eye, and John Dale all wore the same expression. Did he really think that far ahead? And even if he did, was it possible?
“Then…”
With a hint of disbelief, Falcon Eye asked, “Are you saying you could have done better?”
This wasn’t just any record. Lee Suhyuk. A great player who defined an era. Creating a tie with Lee Suhyuk’s record on his first attempt was astonishing enough; the fact that it was intentional was beyond belief.
“Well…”
But Suhyuk had no intention of answering that question.
“Let’s stick to one question per exchange.”
Un Hyang and Falcon Eye both had disappointed expressions. They wanted to hear from this Lee Suhyuk if he could surpass Blue Eyes’ Lee Suhyuk.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Falcon Eye didn’t press further. Pushing for answers when someone didn’t want to speak only created animosity.
“So what are your plans moving forward? Considering the nature of my content, I’m curious about your next steps.”
“I plan to focus on the third-floor event for a while.”
Falcon Eye’s eyes lit up. The third-floor event hosted by Blue Zone. It aligned perfectly with Lee Suhyuk’s stream theme.
“That’s a solid plan. You made a good choice.”
“It’s thanks to the company and my capable manager.”
Falcon Eye grinned at Un Hyang upon hearing Suhyuk’s modest reply. Indeed, she was a capable manager, though her competency leaned more towards her ability as a player.
“Then I’ll see you around, Suhyuk.”
“Yes. It was a pleasure.”
Suhyuk shook Falcon Eye’s offered hand. He declined the afterparty suggestion; he had no time for idle drinking. On his way back, Suhyuk reflected on what he had said earlier.
“My stream rides on the aura of Lee Suhyuk. If I win, I’ll gain that aura but tarnish Lee Suhyuk’s legend.”
He knew it. He was currently riding on the name of Lee Suhyuk. Though it was his past life, it still irked his pride somewhat.
‘I can’t keep riding on it forever.’
A tie.
People would now say that streamer Lee Suhyuk and Blue Eyes’ Lee Suhyuk had the same level of talent and skill.
And that meant—
‘Depending on what I do now, the value of the name Lee Suhyuk will rise together.’
People would say that whatever streamer Lee Suhyuk accomplished, Blue Eyes’ Lee Suhyuk could also achieve. He had no intention of riding on his past life’s name indefinitely.
One day, he would surpass it.
Higher, and further.
The tie was just a temporary compromise for that purpose.