Chapter 58
Waahhh-!
The crowd’s cheers filled the arena. In the colosseum, the players who had finished their matches stood with regretful expressions.
The winner was decided. Before the match started, everyone was a protagonist, but now a single protagonist was chosen.
“I wonnnnn-!”
Un Hyang jumped up from her seat and cheered loudly. She seemed far more ecstatic than Suhyuk, who stood in the arena.
On the contrary. Yerang was unsure if she should be happy or not.
‘He really ended up winning.’
Like many other players, Shiwoo and Yerang had believed that the winner would be Schneider. No matter how talented Suhyuk was or that he had gained the Lightning, the Lightning couldn’t be wielded by just anyone.
The Lightning was a double-edged sword. In many ways, it was closer to a cursed weapon, given that it inevitably harmed its wielder.
They thought it would take Suhyuk much more time to master it…
‘What was that spear? And how does he still have stamina after throwing that?’
Everything was beyond expectations. He had his friend’s name and surpassed his talents. It was incredible.
“So, unfortunately, eliminated participants, please exit! Only the winner should remain on stage!”
The announcer’s voice boomed from above the stage. Only one order of business remained.
“Next, the prize presentation!”
The prize.
The relic of Kim Minjae, a member of Blue Eyes and her friend.
Flash-.
A pair of red leather shoes appeared above. Schneider’s face was unreadable. He looked both angry and resigned. As all the participants vacated the area, “The prize presentation will now take place-!”
Kim Minjae’s relic was transferred to Koh Hyunsu’s hand.
Watching this, Yerang fell into deep thought.
According to the original plan,
—
“When the winner is announced, steal it. It’s much safer that way.”
—
Now was the time for her to act.
*
Thud-.
The shoes landed in his hand. As his eyes followed the slowly descending shoes, Suhyuk’s expression wavered. It had been a long while. Not for him, but for these shoes.
‘Twenty years.’
There was a peculiar feeling. The Nimble Thief’s Footwear. Minjae’s most cherished item.
—
“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to touch my shoes? Who wore them? Hey!”
—
The memory of him blowing up over a slight touch was vivid.
‘More than a comfort item.’
Thinking back to those times, he chuckled. And then, “Oh, that? Ilsoo said he’d borrow them for a bit.”
“Again? Arrgghh-!”
Even unpleasant memories he didn’t want to recall surfaced. The smile that had briefly appeared faded. His eyes, filled with nostalgia, sharpened and tightened with resolve.
‘Yeah. Even he would’ve known.’
Suddenly, the reality of his friend’s death hit him, dying at the hands of someone who had once been a close comrade.
—
– Nice
– Those Nimble Thief’s Footwear tho
– Lookin’ slick
– Poor Suhyuk is ballin’ with items now?
– He’s so obsessed with points, he might sell them
– This thing could fetch a crazy premium for sure
That’s nonsense. No matter how urgent his need for points, he could never sell this.
“I’m not selling.”
“Pardon?”
His response left Go Hyunsu puzzled. Unlike in the trial where he could control the microphone, the boundary wasn’t clear here.
“Oh, I was speaking to my viewers.”
“Ah yes, you are a streamer. But saying you won’t sell… what does that mean?”
“A viewer suggested that the prize would sell for a high price.”
“Of course. It would probably fetch at least hundreds of thousands of points, if not more.”
The Nimble Thief’s Footwear carried the premium of being associated with Blue Eyes. Its value was high enough that it was difficult to quantify in points. For wealthy collectors, it was an unmatched item.
“Sell it to me-!”
“Just name the price! I’ll pay any amount!”
“You want premium items? My family’s vault has even better stuff! Just visit and…”
The colosseum, once again, grew noisy after the tournament had ended. It was a natural progression. The Nimble Thief’s Footwear was the main reason this large audience had gathered.
‘They came to buy this.’
The name Blue Eyes was still etched deeply in the Tower. It was part of the history he had created, a history that was turned into a legend by Kim Ilsoo.
And the people present were collectors eager to get closer to that legend. Individuals whose aim was to purchase the winner’s prize immediately.
“I’m not selling it.”
Suhyuk responded calmly. But the commotion didn’t subside. It grew louder.
“I’ll bid two million points!”
“I’ll bid two-point-one million points!”
“I’ll pay two-point-five million! Plus…”
“Three million!”
The frenzy only intensified. It was as if they hadn’t heard Suhyuk’s words at all. Wealthy individuals vying for the item. And the audiences, finding the auction highly entertaining.
Their voices became more distinct as the bidding escalated.
“It’s up to three million.”
“Looks like it might go higher.”
“Is that item really worth that much?”
“It’s just a premium. Famous ranker used it…”
“This could go up to four million…”
He had hoped to keep things quiet. Just to collect his friend’s relic and leave.
‘I can’t stand this.’
In the end, Suhyuk flipped.
Flash-!
A yellow pillar shot up into the sky above the arena.
Boom-!
Lightning rumbled through the stadium. In an instant, the rowdy atmosphere settled, and the auction-like chatter from the stands ceased.
“Let me make it clear. No amount of money will make me sell this.”
Suhyuk’s words echoed powerfully, underscored by the dramatic display of Lightning. Only then did the people in the stands understand his resolve. But there’s always one or two who just can’t take a hint.
“Five million….”
A persistent voice called out.
“Even if I offer five million?”
An astronomical sum escaped from his lips.
– Wow, five million.
– That’s no joke.
– How many times the normal price is that?
– Man, this guy’s being pressured hard.
Just as murmurs began to rise again at that price,
“I’ll say it one last time.”
Suhyuk glared, his voice deadly serious.
“I’m not selling.”
*
The prize presentation ended with quite a commotion. Despite the incredible offer of five million points, Suhyuk did not part with the item. As he walked out of the arena, Suhyuk turned his head, feeling unsettled.
‘They just had to inflate the price unnecessarily.’
Five million. On reflection, it was an absolutely staggering amount. Most players could neither dream of nor touch such a sum in their lifetime.
With that many points, he could instantly raise the level of Selfish Sacrifice by several stages. However, even with that in mind, Suhyuk had no intention of selling.
‘I can earn points.’
Through streaming or by becoming a ranker in the future. One way or another, there were methods to earn points. Even if it was slow, he believed he could eventually earn not just five million, but even ten million points.
But this item was different.
‘I might never be able to get it back.’
He intended to reclaim every single item his friends had used. Minjae’s shoes, for sure. Whether it was Suhoon’s spear or Jiyeong’s necklace…
He vowed to find all of them. And this was just the beginning.
‘Still, it kind of stings.’
There was only one way to soothe that bitter feeling.
– Show us the item
– Seriously, curious about its options
– Aren’t you going to claim the mission funds?
The missions.
Various missions had been set up for the finals, resulting in substantial support.
“I have to claim them, don’t I?”
『Mission completed.』
『Received 28,300 points from ‘IfYoureCuriousBet50000’.』
『Mission completed.』
『Received 14,300 points from ‘MissionVillain’.』
『Received from ‘RebornRich’…』
『…』
The pleasant messages continued to roll in.
A total of 71,200 points.
Far from the 5 million points bid in the earlier auction, but still a substantial amount nonetheless.
—
『Current Points: 87,229』
—
In an instant, his points exceeded 80,000 again, recovering what he had spent.
“Thanks for the missions, everyone. I feel a bit less bitter now.”
– You felt bitter?
– You were so firm, I thought you didn’t care, lol
– Money-hungry Suhyuk, of course you would, rofl
He wondered what kind of image he had cultivated.
‘Was I really that obsessed with money?’
He was sure he wasn’t like that in his past life.
『’MissionVillain’ has donated 100 points.』
『Ah, shut up. If you’re grateful, check the item’s stats.』
With the suggestion that came with the donation, Suhyuk nodded. He needed to check the item’s stats anyway. Even if it wasn’t worth 5 million points, it was bound to be useful.
‘It’s definitely a valuable item.’
Minjae had cherished it for good reasons.
“Alright, let’s see…”
Suhyuk continued the stream while appraising the item.
“Let’s take a look together.”
『Nimble Thief’s Footwear』
Grade: Unique
Level requirement: 30
Shoes of the nimble thief, ■■■■, imbued with the power to lighten the body.
Movement speed increased by 25%
Jumping ability increased by 15%
Can use “Cloud Step” once a day
Movement speed and jumping ability boosts, along with a skill option.
Despite its high grade of Unique, the level requirement was not excessive. Fortuitously, he could use the item immediately. However, the viewers’ reactions to the item’s stats were mixed.
– It looks good, but…
– Not as impressive as I thought.
– This is Unique? This is worth 5 million???
Clearly, those were the opinions of people who didn’t know the value of items.
– Idiots don’t realize how rare movement speed items are, lol
– Aren’t movement speed items what rankers would fetch from hell itself?
– 25% is insanely OP!
They were right. Items that significantly boosted movement speed were incredibly valuable, regardless of their grade or level requirement.
Such options were rare and their performance scaled dramatically with the user’s level. Thanks to this, Minjae was able to have the swiftest feet among them.
‘Well, even so, it’s not worth five million points.’
Realistically, the item’s market value was probably around…
‘Two million… maybe.’
It was peculiar.
For a third-floor competition, the prize seemed way too significant. While it had undoubtedly boosted the event’s scale, something about it felt unnatural.
‘What kind of game are they playing?’
As Suhyuk pondered this and inspected the item’s options, his kit suddenly vibrated.
It was a message from Un Hyang.
『Un Hyang: Suhyuk-nim, is the stream wrapping up soon?』
This was odd. No matter how urgent, she had never messaged him first during a stream.
Especially not a personal message instead of chat.
『Reply: Almost done. What’s the matter?』
『Un Hyang: I spotted someone suspicious.』
Her next message made Suhyuk turn his head.
『Un Hyang: Be careful. They might be after the prize.』