Chapter 47
Blue Zone player, Na Dosik, had visited the 3rd floor. As a 5th-floor player, he had come down the lower floors for one reason only: to meet a particular player in person.
‘So close to the next floor, yet I have to deal with this nonsense.’
He fiddled with his protruding hair, grumbling in frustration.
“Damn that guy, playing hard to get for no reason.”
Streamer Lee Suhyuk. A player lucky enough to obtain lightning on the 2nd floor. For someone who just streams, getting lightning was absurd.
‘No matter how symbolic it is, wanting a 3rd-floor player for Blue Zone is just…’
Na Dosik checked the map displayed on his kit as he continued walking.
“The world’s going to hell.”
Despite his complaints, he soon arrived at his destination and looked up at a lodging house.
“This is the place.”
A clean-looking, fairly upscale lodging. Likely provided by Balhae Entertainment. Streamers evidently made quite a bit of money. Na Dosik walked into the lodging house, making a phone call at the same time.
“Yes, I’ve arrived.”
The recipient was John Dale. The team leader from Balhae Entertainment.
“Yes, I’m on the first floor now…”
“Over here. This way.”
The first floor of the lodging. A well-decorated lobby resembling a cafe. John Dale was seated in the middle, waving at Na Dosik.
Slide-.
Na Dosik sat across from John Dale.
“Would you like coffee? Or perhaps a light drink?”
“No thanks, just water will be fine.”
“Understood.”
John Dale deduced from Na Dosik’s response that he didn’t intend to stay long.
“You mentioned you had business with our streamer?”
“Yes. Where is Lee Suhyuk right now?”
“He isn’t here. He went out on other business.”
“Other business? What kind of business?”
“That’s personal, so I can’t disclose that information…”
John Dale trailed off, sipping his coffee.
“Besides, I believe we’ve already conveyed our streamer’s stance.”
“I’ll discuss that with him directly.”
“That will be difficult. He’s not easy to meet.”
“Isn’t it that you don’t want me to meet him?”
Na Dosik frowned. He knew Balhae Entertainment wouldn’t be cooperative. From their standpoint, they wouldn’t want a lucky ticket like Suhyuk taken away by Blue Zone.
However.
‘If I return without even seeing Lee Suhyuk, I’m getting disciplined immediately.’
Regardless of personal evaluations, the guild was eager to have him. Desperately eager. Failing this mission would result in more than just a typical disciplinary action.
“For Lee Suhyuk, joining a major guild is a hundred times better than just being a streamer. Don’t you agree?”
“I’m not so sure. Successful streamers nowadays make earnings comparable to high-ranking players.”
“I’m not just talking about points. Honor, power, strength. I’m talking about everything combined.”
“Streamer Rain Cutters became a ranker through streaming and possesses more points and fame than rankers of similar standing.”
John Dale wasn’t backing down on any point. A tough opponent. Na Dosik’s frustration grew more apparent.
“Your attitude seems to suggest you want to make an enemy of Blue Zone.”
If persuasion didn’t work, he would resort to threats. But he had met the wrong opponent.
“There are occasional players with prejudices against the streaming profession. I haven’t met one recently who exuded that aura, though.”
Na Dosik’s face showed a question mark at this puzzling statement. Na Dosik gave John Dale a look that seemed to ask, ‘So what are you getting at?’
“But among those people, there are very few who spout such nonsense directly in front of me. Do you know why?”
John Dale’s voice steadily grew firmer.
“Because we have the power to influence the public. And everyone knows how powerful that is, unless they’re a toddler.”
Eventually, a smirk appeared on his face. It was a sneer.
“Do you get it, kid? Just how ridiculous your words were.”
“Ki—Kid?”
Na Dosik’s face reddened as he sprang from his seat. However, he couldn’t continue to use threats or act aggressively, leveraging his guild’s backing, as he had before.
‘This won’t do.’
Threatening words could only be used once. Crossing the line further against John Dale’s warning would not only damage his reputation but also tarnish the guild’s image.
And at that point, truly, ‘The discipline for losing Lee Suhyuk would be incomparable.’
Gulp-.
For the guild, image was synonymous with reputation and honor. Thus, making an enemy of the prominent MCM company, Balhae, wasn’t feasible. He had no choice.
“…You’ll regret this.”
For now, he had to retreat.
Bang-!
Na Dosik walked out of the lodging, slamming the door loudly as a final show of pride.
“Tsk.”
Watching Na Dosik leave, John Dale clicked his tongue and downed the rest of his coffee. A bit harsh, but the message of refusal should have been clearly communicated.
“To be honest, it’s fine by us…”
Having ended the meeting with Blue Zone, John Dale muttered his lingering question.
“No matter how you look at it, he seems more like a player than a streamer.”
Lee Suhyuk had been out hunting for three days straight. Clearly, he was unlike any streamer John Dale had ever seen before.
—
Sssshhhaaa-!
A massive snake, tens of meters long, screamed. With a body thickness of over two meters and covered in tough red scales, it was the Sky Serpent, a monster known as the king of the 3rd floor.
However.
‘Is this its final struggle?’
The snake’s head was in tatters completely. Since the hunt began, Suhyuk had relentlessly targeted only its head.
Crackkk-.
The Sky Serpent lunged fiercely, shattering the ground. Suhyuk didn’t dodge, keeping his gaze fixed on the approaching monster until the last moment. And then, in the final instant.
“Time to put an end to this.”
Zap-!
Suhyuk disappeared in a flash of yellow lightning.
“For you and me both.”
Kabang-!
A streak of lightning struck the Sky Serpent’s head. Suhyuk’s blade pierced through the serpent’s brain.
『You have defeated the boss: Sky Serpent.』
『Level Up.』
『Strength increased by 1.』
『Stamina increased by 1.』
『Focus increased by 1.』
The boss was indeed a boss. Ranking up in an instant again. Moreover, the final hunt had yielded more than just levels.
“Got myself some decent loot.”
Something that wouldn’t have interested him much in the past. The Sky Serpent’s scales.
‘These should fetch at least 10,000 points. The scales of a Sky Serpent are that valuable.’
This was why Suhyuk had taken great pains while hunting the Sky Serpent. He needed to ensure he captured the scales with minimal damage.
On the other hand, it also meant he had that much leeway during the hunt.
『Status Window』
『Name: Lee Suhyuk』
『Affiliation: Earth』
『Level: 35』
『Strength: 36』
『Agility: 33』
『Stamina: 34(+2)』
『Focus: 30』
『Magic: 36』
Suhyuk reviewed his gains from the past three days. With a focus on pure hunting to boost his level, he had acquired no additional items or skills. But the level gains were significant.
‘Nine levels. Four on the first day, three on the second, and two today.’
An unbelievably fast rate. However, it was evident that the pace was slowing as his level climbed.
‘I should be satisfied with this.’
He had reaped enough from hunting. Nine levels meant an approximate gain of 27 stat points. There was no need to be greedy. After stripping the Sky Serpent’s scales, Suhyuk decided to return.
Tomorrow was the day to retrieve Minjae’s keepsake.
—
Back at the lodging, the first thing Suhyuk did was take a shower. He stored the Sky Serpent’s scales in his inventory. Since his inventory space was insufficient, he had to leave about half of the scales behind.
‘I need to get a bigger inventory bag when I have the funds.’
As he contemplated this in the shower, Suhyuk sighed.
“Who has that kind of luxury? I’ve got a money-guzzling monster attached to me.”
With that, he finished his refreshing shower and noticed a blue light blinking on his kit. A message had arrived.
『Un Hyang: Once you’re done showering, join me at the lobby café. ㅇ_^』
That somewhat crumpled-looking emoticon. Suhyuk paused for a moment, scratching his head.
“Is that… a wink?”
More importantly, how did she know he was here?
‘Well, given her skills, it wouldn’t be impossible.’
She was a player Suhyuk admired for her abilities. If she set her mind to it, finding him within several kilometers would be a piece of cake.
Suhyuk dried his hair and changed his clothes. Heading downstairs, he saw Un Hyang sitting at a table with a bright smile.
“Something amusing happen?”
He took a seat across from Un Hyang. Two cups of tea were already set on the table.
“How was it?”
Un Hyang asked back with a smile, responding to Suhyuk’s question. How was it, indeed. It was odd enough that her question was answered with another question, but the meaning of her query remained unclear.
“What do you mean?”
“You haven’t checked?”
“What exactly am I supposed to check…?”
In the middle of his response, a thought struck him.
“Oh, right.”
He had forgotten about it while engrossed in hunting.
“The video….”
It was the edited stream video produced and uploaded by Balhae Entertainment.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t checked it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I was too focused on hunting.”
“Wow….”
“Sorry.”
At Suhyuk’s apology, Un Hyang shook her head.
“No, it’s not that. I said ‘wow’ because that’s so like Lee Suhyuk, and it’s impressive.”
She wasn’t just making an empty comment. Un Hyang didn’t have the acting chops to lie with her eyes. She was genuinely satisfied with Suhyuk’s response, that he was so focused on hunting that he neglected everything else.
“Again, I must say, it’s okay for you to be like that, Suhyuk. Being the most Lee Suhyuk-like is your greatest asset.”
“Is that so?”
Again, Suhyuk felt fortunate to have such a supportive manager. Having someone cheer you on and knowing they are your partner was a blessing.
“So, you probably don’t know how many points you’ll be getting paid this time around?”
“That’s correct.”
Even if he had checked, he wouldn’t know the exact amount. The revenue from the video and half the donations received from the collab with Falcon Eye. That was the money Suhyuk would be settling through Balhae Entertainment.
“It’s a good thing you’re different from the real Lee Suhyuk in this regard. You like points, right?”
“That’s…”
Just as Suhyuk was about to deny it, he remembered what he had told Un Hyang. When asked about the purpose of his stream—
“It’s for the money.”
—he had answered like that.
“…Yes, I do like them.”
“Hehe, then look forward to it.”
Un Hyang was visibly pleased with Suhyuk’s answer. And then, without delay.
“Ta-dah!”
She pulled out the first settlement statement Suhyuk would receive since starting his stream.