Chapter 44
The Players channel’s stream community was in turmoil. And not just the streaming community. High-ranking players keenly interested in new rookies on the lower floors and various guilds were similarly abuzz.
▶Why Fake Suhyuk is a Fraud◀
▶It’s All Staged, how Can You Believe This?◀
▶Reasons Why Suhyuk Reincarnated (Photos)◀
Conspiracies emerged, claiming the trial was orchestrated and faked by Balhae Entertainment. Meanwhile, many others believed in the authenticity.
– How would you fake that? Explain.
– Such paranoia, lol.
– Here come the conspiracy theorists.
– Why don’t you just say the lightning is fake too, lol?
Public opinion was fiercely divided. Guilds were also in a frenzy. Balhae Entertainment found itself swamped with unexpected contacts from guilds eager to speak with Suhyuk.
The issue was that these contacts were mostly about guild recruitment, not streams.
“He won’t join any guilds.”
Amid this situation, Un Hyang relayed Suhyuk’s decision to the company.
“If they have something to say to him, they should do it through donations….”
John Dale could hardly believe what he was hearing. Tell them to communicate through donations? It almost felt like he was managing a rookie streamer who barely started.
“Hmph, hmmm—.”
Humming a light tune, Un Hyang flopped onto her plush bed. Snacks such as jerky, sweets, and jelly were scattered across the bed.
“This is why being a manager is fun~.”
Early in the morning, after finishing his meal, Suhyuk left the dormitory to take the trial. Taking the trial meant starting his stream. Un Hyang had stocked up on her favorite snacks and was eagerly waiting for Suhyuk’s stream.
While staring at her kit, waiting for the notification that the stream had begun, her mind wandered back to what she had said to Suhyuk last night.
“You’ll be surprised. Make sure you’re ready when I decide to share it.”
“Ugh—.”
What had possessed her to say such a thing?
‘He won’t think it strange, will he?’
It would have been better if she had said nothing at all. For the first time, Suhyuk had asked something personal about her, and in her excitement, she ended up saying more than she needed to.
“Ah—! Aaaah!”
Bang, pop!
Once again, Un Hyang’s fists flew at an innocent pillow. Feathers burst out and littered the room. As she privately wallowed in her embarrassment, a notification appeared.
『’Lee Suhyuk’ has started streaming.』
The message she had been waiting for. No, a message now awaited by over 10,000 subscribers, appeared on her kit screen.
Un Hyang quickly readied herself, snacks in hand, and tuned into the stream, eager and filled with anticipation. Suhyuk’s progress was about to be shared with many—an exciting moment for fans and rankers alike.
***
3rd Floor Examination Room
Standing at the entrance to the portal, Suhyuk greeted the viewers pouring in.
“Thank you for the 1000 points, ‘IloveLeeSuhyuk’. You’re here again. Ah, ‘MissionVillain’… Yes, let’s see if you can win today.”
After a few sessions, he became familiar with communicating with the viewers to some extent.
– The manager asked us to subscribe, so I clicked twice!
– Which faction will you choose for the 3rd floor?
– Not going into the Blue Zone?
– Su~hyuk!
– Soloing again this time?
Maybe it was because many new viewers had joined?
As soon as the stream started, countless questions came flooding in. Some of them came with small donations attached. He couldn’t respond to every chat message, but he couldn’t ignore the donations completely.
Moreover, given the nature of his stream, which required concentration on the trial, now was the time when donations flowed most actively, right after the stream began.
“Yes, I’m soloing again this time. I find it more comfortable alone.”
『’Golden Lion’ donated 500 points.』
『Aren’t you doing a collab with the real Reinhardt?』
Golden Lion.
It was the name of the guild that Reinhardt belonged to. Judging by the nickname change, this viewer seemed to be a fan of Reinhardt.
“No, I’ll be concentrating on Victory Tower for the time being.”
『’WorldTree3′ donated 5000 points.』
『Hello Suhyuk. I am Raymond from the World Tree guild. I have something important to discuss. Do you have a moment?』
The guilds were starting to show serious interest. Suhyuk smiled behind his mask at the generous donation.
“It’s not the right time yet. Thank you for your donation.”
Suhyuk had no intention of joining a guild. But that didn’t mean there was nothing to gain from the guilds.
Ten minutes into the stream. Suhyuk checked the viewer count.
『Viewers: 2,719』
Two thousand seven hundred. The numbers had increased significantly. At this rate, it might reach 4,000, no, perhaps even 5,000.
‘The collaboration effect is strong.’
The subscriber count also surpassed 10,000. Edited videos would be uploaded soon, and today’s profits from yesterday’s collaboration would be settled as well.
He could understand why the company regretted missing the collaboration with Reinhardt so much.
‘The stream is going smoothly.’
Everything would be fine if it continued like this. The speed at which he was accumulating points was accelerating. All he had to do was keep providing the content they wanted to see.
And that was too easy.
Because-
‘I am Lee Suhyuk.’
Step-.
He moved to take the trial. With his eyes gleaming through the mask, Suhyuk spoke.
“Let’s begin the stream.”
Fwoosh-.
As he stepped into the portal, a bright light enveloped his body.
– Let’s go
– Let’s gooo
***
『Starting the 3rd Floor Trial』
Amid a pure white background. With the message floating before his eyes, the trial began.
『Choose your affiliation.』
『Odman Kingdom – Details』
『Conrad Kingdom – Details』
The outcome of the 3rd floor trial varied greatly depending on the chosen kingdom.
Each faction was antagonistic toward each other and offered different quests based on affiliation.
– Odman is definitely the way to go.
– Odman was like ages ago, LOL.
– Isn’t Odman an empty house now since it’s all drained dry?
– Still, choosing Conrad seems a bit rough.
A brief debate about the two factions ensued. At this rate, there was no need to go through the hassle of looking up information.
Which faction was better? While the answer to that question was evident, Suhyuk’s choice was the opposite.
『You have chosen ‘Conrad Kingdom.’』
『Complete tasks to earn performance points.』
『Current performance points: 0』
『Required performance points: 10,000』
Conrad.
The chat blazed again with his choice.
– LOL, this is it.
– I expected this, LOL.
– Odman is kind of predictable.
– Well, he might pull it off anyway.
Conrad. Only about three percent of the total players chose this faction. And there was undoubtedly a reason why so few players chose it.
『Transferring to ‘Conrad Kingdom.’』
Fwoosh-!
Color began to fill the pure white landscape. The initially blurry view stabilized into clear scenery, like a mirage solidifying. The building, filled with the scent of men, came into Suhyuk’s view, teeming with burly mercenaries.
– So, Conrad is full of mercenaries?
– Why are the facilities here so rundown?
Mercenaries. This was the status assigned to Suhyuk and all players belonging to the Conrad Kingdom. Just as Suhyuk began his trial in the Conrad Kingdom.
“What’s this weak-looking guy doing here?”
Thud-.
A man brushed past, hitting Suhyuk’s shoulder.
“Just standing there like an idiot? You’re in the way.”
The towering man glanced at Suhyuk and clicked his tongue in disdain. There was enough space to pass by, but he bumped into him on purpose. Suhyuk wasn’t naive enough to miss that.
“You hit me, didn’t you?”
Suhyuk’s eyes sparkled as he adjusted his microphone.
“Isn’t it nice to meet you?”
– LOL
– “Isn’t it nice to meet you.” ha, classic.
Suhyuk moved towards the man who had brushed past him. As Suhyuk placed a hand on his shoulder, the man turned to face him, furrowing his brows menacingly.
“What? You got a problem?”
“Of course, I do. You just hit my shoulder.”
Suhyuk glanced at the insignia hanging on the man’s shoulder. A silver badge symbolizing a B-Rank mercenary—a rather high rank. No wonder he had the confidence to pick a fight.
“What’s with this guy? If you have something to say, spit it out. Are you mute?”
The man’s words made Suhyuk realize his current state.
“Oh right, my mic.”
– Forgot the mic again, LOL.
– He’s good at everything but streaming, LOL.
– From the mercenary’s perspective, he just got stopped and stared at blankly, LOL.
Briefly embarrassed, Suhyuk quickly adjusted the microphone back to its usual state.
Repeating the same words once more.
“So what? What are you gonna do about it? You’re just an E-Rank.”
E-Rank.
That was the mercenary rank currently assigned to Suhyuk. All players starting in Conrad are given an E-Rank mercenary ranking. E-Rank is three levels lower than B-Rank.
“Don’t you know the rules here? If you’re weak, low-ranked, and nameless, you get trampled.”
The man sneered.
“Actually, you should be grateful for just bumping shoulders, right?”
Murmurs spread. People started gathering around the brewing confrontation.
“What’s going on? A fight?”
“Seems like it.”
“Who’s that? A newbie?”
“Looks that way. But can he even fight? The rank difference is too big.”
“That Vulture, always picking on E-Rank.”
The chatter of the onlookers reached his ears. Some were apparently hoping to see Suhyuk get beaten down. Well, mercenaries are known for being this way. Savage, sweaty, and violent.
‘Especially small guilds in rural areas.’
Suhyuk smiled at the gathering crowd. The audience was quite enough.
“Yeah, I’m an E-Rank.”
Crackle-.
Magic sparked at Suhyuk’s fingertips.
『‘Lightning’ imbues your hand.』
Zap-.
His fist shot out, striking the man’s chin before returning to its original position.
“But I won’t be for long.”
“What the hell…?”
Mid-sentence, the man lost strength in his legs and collapsed. His eyes rolled back, showing the whites. Suhyuk pushed the falling man aside.
Thud-.
The wooden floor echoed as it met the man’s heavy body. The onlookers were momentarily stunned.
“Huh…?”
“Why did he fall down all of a sudden?”
“Is he okay?”
Most didn’t understand what had happened. It had occurred too quickly.
“Hey, Vulture! Hey! Are you alright?”
“What’s wrong with him? Did this guy do something?”
“He said his mother wasn’t feeling well recently…”
“You idiot! Just because his mother is sick doesn’t mean he’d suddenly collapse!”
During the commotion, the man’s comrades rushed over. A group of C-Rank, D-Rank, and one B-Rank mercenary. They glared at Suhyuk, grinding their teeth.
“You got lucky, didn’t you?”
“Why are you staring? Should I rip that weird mask off your face?”
“Did he do something to him?”
Having to deal with more trouble, Suhyuk scratched his head and adjusted his microphone.
“They didn’t see it either.”
Planning to showcase a powerful punch for his initiation might have been too much. But it was a relief. Mercenaries are naturally provoked easily.
Tap, tap-.
Suhyuk relaxed his clenched fists and continued.
“This time, I’ll hit a bit slower.”
TL’s Corner:
Open world map.