Chapter 66
Whimper, whine—
Bale and his companions, who had been struggling against the Lightning Wolves, now wore bewildered expressions.
The once-ferocious Lightning Wolves had become docile pups. The fierce beasts were now obediently lying down at Suhyuk’s command.
As if they were loyal dogs following their master.
“Su-Suhyuk, what is this…?”
“Let’s go.”
“Pardon?”
Ignoring Bale’s attempt at questioning, Suhyuk instead gave a command to the Lightning Wolves.
“Let’s move.”
Howl—!
Howl, howl—!
At Suhyuk’s words, the sitting Lightning Wolves rose and responded with howls.
『’Lightning Wolves’ have been subjugated.』
『You can command the ‘Lightning Wolves’ within the Thunder Cave.』
The pack of Lightning Wolves followed Suhyuk. Bale and his companions murmured, staring at Suhyuk and the wolf pack.
“What on earth is happening…?”
“Why are the wolves…?”
“I feel like we’re the stragglers here now.”
Dozens of Lightning Wolves were beyond the combined strength of Bale and his group. But Suhyuk had somehow managed to subjugate them in a single move.
“Can we even keep up with him?”
Initially, their plan had been to latch onto Lee Suhyuk, aiming to gain rewards and performance points from the Thunder Cave.
But at some point.
The thought crept in that even that might not be easy.
‘Demun is dead, and the Lightning Wolves are under Suhyuk’s command.’
Nothing was going as anticipated.
Perhaps.
『Streamers are all the same, aren’t they? Because of their image, they have to kowtow to people like us.』
Even his own assumptions.
Bale’s anxiety grew.
‘So, what happens next?’
Step—
Filled with undefined dread, they trailed behind Suhyuk.
“Hey, everyone.”
Thud—
Walking while surrounded by the Lightning Wolves, Suhyuk suddenly stopped and spoke.
“Howl. Loudly.”
“What, what do you mean?”
Bale’s eyes widened in alarm.
Howl? Right here?
In the middle of the Thunder Cave?
But it was too late to question him.
Awooo—!
Awoooooo—!
The Lightning Wolves howled in unison. The cave reverberated with their howls, creating an ear-splitting noise.
“This is insane—!”
“Suhyuk! What is this…?”
Some of the quicker-witted players realized the implications of the Lightning Wolves’ howls. Cold sweat trickled down Bale’s back.
“This is my way.”
“Your… way?”
“Drive hunting.”
Crackle, sizzle—.
Roar—!
Growl—!
Monsters with various appearances, all with yellow fur, began to emerge. Some resembled bears, others were snakes with yellow scales slithering along the walls, and even creatures made of rocks were present.
How many were there?
The number of monsters that came into view was at least dozens, and considering those lurking behind, it easily surpassed a hundred.
“What kind of drive hunt is this? This is s*****e!”
The monsters in the Thunder Cave weren’t like typical monsters. Even the Lightning Wolves Suhyuk commanded required at least two or three players on the third floor to hunt them down.
“With the Lightning Wolves, it should be manageable. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“W-what about us?”
Bale’s panicked question was met with a smirk from Suhyuk behind his mask.
“Didn’t I tell you? This is just a journey together.”
At that moment. Bale realized something unmistakable.
“This is a journey together, not a partnership. Don’t expect anything more from me.”
From the very start, Suhyuk had planned this situation.
“Let each fight for their own survival.”
*
John Dale had a peculiar expression watching the chaos unfold on the screen. Hundreds of monsters from the Thunder Cave.
They were creating an all-out melee with Lee Suhyuk, the Lightning Wolves, and the dozen or so players who had tagged along.
“Is this… alright?”
The staff member, who was monitoring in place of Cheon Ryang who was on leave, asked.
She had immediately reported the situation to John Dale as soon as it happened. After hearing her report and seeing the situation on screen, John Dale’s expression remained inscrutable.
“Team Leader?”
“It’s neither fine nor not fine.”
Players being swept up by waves of monsters. With no more to see, John Dale averted his gaze from the screen and spoke.
“In the end, it depends on how the streamer handles it.”
“But ultimately, this is…”
“Yeah, he’ll get some flak.”
Suhyuk had utilized the Lightning Wolves’ howling to call forth monsters. As a result, his party was placed in jeopardy. This would be seen as team-killing and trolling.
Ordinarily, that is.
“But this case is a bit unique, isn’t it?”
John Dale showed the screen he had found on the kit. It was a post from the Players’ community recruiting party members for Lee Suhyuk’s stream specifically to leech off him.
“They wanted to hitch a ride. It wasn’t just suspicion; they even provided solid proof. And those guys clearly don’t have the skills to tackle the Thunder Cave.”
Before he could finish speaking, yet another player met their end. Reading the post, John Dale chuckled derisively.
“Not just anyone can hitch a ride on a bus, right?”
“Will public opinion agree with that?”
“Not everyone will. But still….”
John Dale watched Suhyuk ruthlessly deal with the leeching players and nodded.
“This is probably the best bet.”
“The best bet? Isn’t it safer to just take them along, even if it’s a bit tedious?”
“It might be, just this once.”
Just this once. John Dale emphasized that point. The monitoring staff realized belatedly how shortsighted her initial thoughts were.
“Ah….”
“Exactly. Do you think people won’t flock to a free bus ride? If he takes them along this time, expect hordes of them like ants next time.”
The image is crucial for a streamer. And there are always those who would exploit that. This time was no different. As a streamer, Suhyuk understood the need to maintain his image.
There were always those who, without the necessary skills or commitment, hoped to coast along and reap the benefits of his hard work.
“So, Lee Suhyuk the streamer is showing everyone.”
He was sending a message to those who leech and to the countless future would-be Bails.
“Don’t even dream of leeching off my efforts.”
“… I see.”
The monitoring staff could only nod in agreement. This was Suhyuk’s best option. It was the optimal choice both as a player and as a streamer.
However, the issue was that he was a streamer.
“But what did you mean by it depends on the streamer? Didn’t he handle it well?”
“Sometimes, there are problems with no right answer. Our job is often like that.”
An enigmatic response. Sensing that his explanation was lacking, John Dale elaborated.
“Streamers, in situations like this, will always face criticism, whether they respond or not.”
“No matter which choice they make?”
“Exactly. Would you be able to handle it? A situation like this?”
His question left her speechless.
Handling it. That question was loaded with meaning.
John Dale, the team leader of the management division at Balhae Entertainment.
His experience with many streamers—from those who couldn’t handle criticism and retired, to those who pretended to be unfazed but lost their essence due to fear of criticism—informed this perspective.
“When I say it depends on the streamer, that’s what I mean.”
“We know. We understand they’re not at fault and that they had no choice. We’re closer to them than the viewers.”
“It’s difficult….”
“Yes. It is difficult. That’s why streamers need more than just streaming skills.”
“Then, what do they need?”
“Mental fortitude. The ability to withstand and sometimes overcome unfair situations and criticism.”
John Dale’s gaze returned to the stream screen.
Watching Suhyuk finish the hunt, he continued, seemingly curious.
“I wonder, does Lee Suhyuk the streamer have that kind of mental fortitude?”
*
『You have leveled up.』
『Strength increased by 1.』
『Stamina increased by 1.』
『Focus increased by 1.』
Messages that were always pleasing to hear.
But he couldn’t afford to be too pleased with them at the moment.
Roar—!
A bear with glistening yellow fur opened its jaws wide. Suhyuk reached out towards the drooling maw.
Sizzle—!
Lightning shot from his fingertips. The head of the charging bear exploded, and he turned towards the last remaining creature.
Hiss—
Slish—!
A serpent that had been silently crawling along the wall aiming for Suhyuk’s head was sliced in half.
“Whew….”
Suhyuk exhaled deeply and surveyed his surroundings. The players who had hoped to hitch a ride, as well as the Lightning Wolves that had followed him, were all dead. He was the only one still standing.
– He did it???
– He actually killed them all, OMG
– I thought he was done for because of those leecher players
– Doubting hoes lol, did you think he couldn’t do it?
– For real lol
– Half of his viewers had doubted him, while the other half had believed in him.
Given the sheer number of monsters in the Thunder Cave, it wasn’t surprising that some were skeptical.
‘I need to rest a bit.’
To rid himself of these troublesome leeches, Suhyuk had taken drastic measures. While it didn’t hinder his immediate progress, there was still a long way to go to conquer the Thunder Cave fully.
Currently, he was merely at the entrance of the cave.
Swish—
Turning to the now deserted rear, Suhyuk spoke.
“It counts as soloing now, right?”
– For real lol
– This totally counts, hahahaha
– He literally turned it into a solo mission lol
The mission given to Suhyuk was to solo the Thunder Cave. However, the presence of Bale and the other ten players had complicated the mission from the start.
Unexpectedly, Demun had coveted the Thunder Imprint Suhyuk had obtained, and Bale and the other players were disposed of as initially planned.
Thus, the condition for ‘soloing’ was now fulfilled.
『’Ex-Convict12′ has donated 100 points.』
『Wouldn’t the result have been the same if you’d just left them when the Lightning Wolves attacked?』
Along with the donation came a message.
– True?
– If he left them, they probably would’ve died anyway
– For real, they seemed completely incompetent
– They were right.
Even dealing with the Lightning Wolves was beyond the capabilities of Bale and the other players. Had Suhyuk not taken down the Lightning Wolf leader, the situation would have resolved itself much sooner.
Despite that, Suhyuk hadn’t taken that approach.
Because.
“Then I couldn’t have made it clear.”
He needed to make sure they understood.
“This is what happens if you think you can just hitch a ride.”
Suhyuk chose the direct approach. To those ready to criticize and scrutinize the streamer.
‘Come at me if you dare.’