Chapter 56
In the middle of the spectator stands, Yerang stared intently at Un Hyang, who was asking for her name.
‘What’s with this girl?’
You could see it in her eyes. She recognized the disguise. Probably from the moment their eyes first met. However, Un Hyang only noticed the disguise, not the face hidden beneath it.
But even if that’s the case…
‘She’s no ordinary person.’
Among the players she’d recently encountered, Un Hyang stood out the most. She was incomparable to the mediocre ones Kim Ilsoo had sent to find them. That made it peculiar.
Meeting a player of this caliber by chance at the mere third-floor tournament?
‘Did Ilsoo send her to capture me?’
But if that were the case, it wouldn’t be this quiet. If her identity and location had been compromised, the arena would already be in chaos by now.
She wasn’t a player from Blue Zone.
Un Hyang seemed more curious about the disguise than her true identity. Even now, she was merely asking for her name without making any other moves.
Besides…
‘Un Hyang… that name sounds familiar.’
It felt like she had heard her name in passing somewhere. As Yerang was pondering this peculiar feeling, Un Hyang pressed on.
“I asked for your name.”
Un Hyang’s persistence made it clear that continued silence would raise more suspicion. Yerang eventually opened her mouth.
“Yejeong.”
She altered her name slightly. It was better to be cautious since revealing her real name could lead to unforeseen consequences.
“Yejeong? Hmm….”
A dubious reaction. Un Hyang scrutinized Yerang’s concealed face.
“All right. I won’t ask what you’re here for.”
She spoke as if she was convinced there was more to it. Yerang responded with a casual smile.
“What else would I be here for? Just to watch the match.”
“Really? Just that?”
Disbelief tinged Un Hyang’s response. She shrugged her shoulders as if it was impossible.
“Anyway, just saying, don’t try to ruin the match. If you have something to do, do it after the match. Otherwise, I won’t sit idly by.”
Though the warning carried a hint of threat, Yerang felt relieved. If Un Hyang had any inkling of her true identity, she wouldn’t be speaking so arrogantly.
She truly didn’t know who Yerang was. Reassured, Yerang asked, “Why won’t you sit idly by?”
“Because I’m the manager of this stream.”
Un Hyang displayed the screen of Suhyuk’s live stream.
“If the match gets ruined, so does the stream, right? That can’t happen.”
“Manager…?”
Yerang’s eyes widened in surprise. No wonder she found it odd that Un Hyang was watching the stream in person. She was the manager of Suhyuk, the streamer she had been following.
“Really? You’re Suhyuk’s streamer manager?”
Yerang’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Un Hyang seemed taken aback by her unexpectedly enthusiastic reaction.
“Uh? Yes, actually.”
“I’m truly enjoying the stream. Since the fight with the Wolf Warrior…”
“Really? Then you’ve been watching from the very start.”
“Of course! Wasn’t that the first stream?”
“That’s right! Wow, you’re a real fan.”
“Would I be a fake one?”
The conversation, once started, flowed easily and continued seamlessly.
“Really? The first viewer?”
“Yes. It’s truly fate, isn’t it?”
“Come on, you’re not lying about being the manager, are you?”
Any initial tension evaporated as the two continued their conversation, bonded by their common interest.
“So, were you also a fan of Suhyuk from a long time ago?”
“Fan…?”
The sudden question made Yerang pause. Most people watch Suhyuk’s stream because they are fans. They share a sense of belonging under the umbrella of being his viewers.
Yerang also watched Suhyuk’s stream.
But honestly, could she consider herself a fan like them?
“A fan?”
She couldn’t answer. She wasn’t just his fan; she was his friend. Though she missed Suhyuk like the others, their relationship and the extent of her longing were undeniably different.
‘What is it?’
Un Hyang was just as taken aback by her reaction. Saying she watched since the fight with the Wolf Warrior meant she had been watching from the very first stream.
That implied she specifically looked for Suhyuk’s themed streams, yet she hesitated to label herself as his fan.
As Un Hyang continued to give Yerang a peculiar look…
Rumble-!
A loud thunderclap echoed. From the kit Un Hyang was watching. And also from the central screen of the colosseum.
*
Rumble-!
The spear danced in his hand. Blood trickled down Suhyuk’s hand as he gripped the lightning spear.
‘To think it could really be created.’
Forging a weapon purely from Lightning is no easy feat. It’s worlds apart from merely imbuing a weapon with elemental properties. Of course, its power differed as much as its difficulty.
‘Still, I have to show it.’
But the current situation was perfect for this.
‘It’s a live stream.’
– Wow, what the heck?
– Can he already do that?
– I’m so hyped for Suhyuk
– He tried this a while ago and already got the hang of it lol
In the second-floor trial, Suhyuk had thrown a lightning spear. The lightning spear. A single-use, legendary-grade item.
It had been a crucial item for defeating the Giant King.
However…
‘Lightning was always more suited to a spear than a sword.’
Though it was just one throw, the sensation of the spear resonated clearly in his hands. The trial of Lightning conveyed this to the wielder who took the trial through the lightning spear.
Lightning isn’t something to be swung. It becomes the most potent weapon when thrown.
‘Though it’s not the first time I’ve forged a spear…’
The spear he’d made back then wasn’t comparable to the one he now held. While his former spear was stronger during his prime, he could still declare confidently, ‘This is the real deal.’
This, indeed, was the true Lightning.
Crackle-.
A sharp current surged up his hand. The blood trickling down his hand blackened and solidified almost instantly. Although he had managed to create it, it still wasn’t a trivial task.
‘This is still too much to use.’
Even he felt it: this weapon wasn’t something that should be wielded on the third floor. He should be grateful that he could even create it in the first place.
And the biggest reason he could do so was thanks to.
『’Selfish Sacrifice Lv5′ resists the damage from ‘Lightning.’』
The level 5 Selfish Sacrifice’s effect had made it possible.
‘As the level rises, the efficacy is indeed increasing.’
It was worth the points he poured into it. The more points he invested, the more the skill’s effectiveness grew. Choosing Selfish Sacrifice to mitigate Lightning’s drawbacks had indeed been the optimal choice.
At that moment, a deep sigh rose from within his core.
‘In the end, I have to earn more again.’
Probably forever. This obsession with points would continue.
“That spear…”
Schneider’s eyes wavered as he looked at the lightning spear.
“What is that? How did you…?”
“Wasn’t I the one asking questions?”
“What?”
Caught off guard, Schneider recalled Suhyuk’s words.
“Do you still look like I’m running away?”
He couldn’t say yes. If he were to utter such nonsense after seeing that spear, it would be like spitting in his own face.
“… No.”
“Then let me ask you one more thing.”
Boom-!
As Suhyuk raised the spear high, a small thunderclap echoed once more.
“Will you run away?”
“……”
Schneider remained silent. He knew. This was a provocation. A painfully obvious one.
The meaning behind the question was clear, “Running away is for the weaker ones.”
Are you admitting that you are weaker than me?
That’s what Suhyuk was essentially saying. However, even knowing this, Schneider couldn’t easily back down.
‘If I can shatter this….’
A scene flickered before his eyes. That single step he had never managed to take. It resurfaced, making it impossible for him to turn away.
‘This time, I can reach it.’
Step by step, Schneider didn’t run away. He walked towards the intimidating Lightning spear, clutching his own with resolve. The blue steam emitted from Schneider’s body intensified.
He could feel each muscle fiber. Magic expanded, coursing through every part of his body.
Suddenly.
As he walked into the Lightning’s domain, a conversation from years ago came to mind.
“Team Leader, may I ask a disrespectful question?”
This was back when he and Don Zhao were trying to conquer the Thunder Cave as a team. They had failed the raid three times.
It was common for raid team members to change. No matter how much Blue Zone wanted the Thunder Cave conquered, it was often seen as a waste of time for individual players.
“From the moment you say that, it’s already disrespectful.”
“Oh, really?”
“What is it?”
“I was just curious why you’re so obsessed with the Thunder Cave.”
It was a question he had heard countless times. Anyone who knew Schneider would naturally wonder about it. What on earth could be in there that made him so obsessively dedicated?
Frankly, he had no way of knowing what lay at the end of the dungeon.
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“People like me, who are insanely obsessed with something, tend to forget the reasons.”
“What does that mean?”
“Put grandly, it’s a conviction. Put stupidly, it’s an obsession.”
Exactly. To anyone, this looked like an obsession. But such words didn’t matter at all.
“One thing I can say for sure is that I believe my life will be different depending on whether I overcome this or not.”
It was a thought that had struck him after failing about ten times.
“That’s why I can’t give up. If I give up here, I’ll be a failure at everything.”
“And if you succeed… you’ll be able to do anything.”
In response to Don Zhao’s words, Schneider had simply smiled. Conquering the Thunder Cave. For a player not blessed with innate talent, overcoming that was his first hurdle.
And now.
‘Is this my second wall?’
Schneider faced his second barrier, akin to the Thunder Cave.
Swoosh-!
“Ahhh-!”
He aimed the spear at Suhyuk’s neck and charged with accelerating speed. Pouring every ounce of his strength from his toes to his head into that spear.
***
Suhyuk, adopting a throwing stance, looked at the charging Schneider.
“Impressive.”
He couldn’t help but acknowledge it. His determination towards the Thunder Cave hadn’t been in vain.
Look.
Behold the image of a finished player, throwing himself like a completed spear.
‘I can’t face him half-heartedly.’
To honor his ten years of dedication, Suhyuk had to show his respect. That he hadn’t underestimated the Thunder Cave. Rather, he simply possessed the qualifications to do so!
Flash-!