Chapter 75
Huff, huff—
Suhyuk’s heavy breathing could no longer be concealed by his mask. Despite his already high fatigue level, he had continued to move without rest, making it natural that he was out of breath.
Throb, throb—
Every muscle in his body screamed with fatigue. But relaxing wasn’t an option just yet; there was still one more to deal with.
“Are you going to fight too?”
Omar Schneider.
The only player Suhyuk truly regarded as a threat. Fortunately, Schneider had not moved until now, but who could predict human nature?
The allure of Thunder Cave’s rewards could prompt him to attack at any moment.
However—
“I’m just curious about what’s up there.”
“Are you suggesting a truce?”
“Why, are you afraid?”
Suhyuk nodded. The idea of a truce was worse than a straightforward fight. From Suhyuk’s perspective, it would be better to have a clear battle right here. Carrying an unpredictable variable forward was not ideal.
“Really? Well, you might be right.”
Sss—
In response, Schneider retrieved a throwing spear from his reserves, given that his original spear had been damaged in the fight against Ferius.
“Then…”
Swish—
Thunk—
With a reverse grip, Schneider plunged the spear into his own legs.
“Grrmm…”
He let out a soft groan, sweat dripping from his forehead as he looked up.
“How’s that?”
Suhyuk was taken aback by Schneider’s resolve. Had he intended to fight, he might well have had a decent chance. Even if Schneider couldn’t be sure of victory, he would have considered his odds to be about fifty-fifty.
Despite that, Schneider chose to disable himself to ensure he could proceed with Suhyuk. Rather than risk losing a fight here, Schneider opted to secure his passage forward, even if it meant self-inflicted injury.
‘Is he that desperate to see the end of Thunder Cave?’
This went beyond mere passion; it bordered on madness. Suhyuk examined the self-inflicted wounds on Schneider’s legs.
The spear had gone through to the bone. Walking would be painful, running nearly impossible. Even if Schneider harbored ulterior motives, he wouldn’t be capable of fighting effectively.
Suhyuk turned his microphone to consult with his viewers.
“Should I take him along?”
– Yeah, you have to take him.
– Leaving him behind would be too much.
– Poor Schneider ㅠㅠㅠ
– This is romantic… It’s amazing.
The viewers’ sentiment towards Schneider was mostly positive. It seemed they didn’t perceive any hidden motives on his part.
Reading through the chat, Suhyuk nodded.
“Alright.”
He adjusted the microphone so Schneider could hear.
“Let’s go. Together.”
“Are you serious?”
“But with those legs, climbing the stairs will be tough…”
“There’s no rule that says everyone has to sit on the throne. As long as you sit, it’s fine.”
“That works.”
Had Schneider shown any greed for the throne, Suhyuk might have reconsidered. But it seemed unnecessary.
Step, step—
With the conversation concluded, Suhyuk began ascending the steps. Schneider trailed behind, limping as he moved to the base of the stairs.
Though there were many steps, they were manageable. Thanks to his light-footed thief abilities, Suhyuk still felt relatively agile.
Step, step—
As he continued his ascent, the throne came into view above. The large, aged throne Ferius had guarded for so many years. Sitting on it might reveal why Ferius had ended up the way he did.
Sss—
Suhyuk sat on the throne without hesitation.
At that moment—
『’Unused Thunder Throne’ has been occupied.』
With the message, his surroundings changed.
*
It felt like he had lost consciousness for a moment and then returned. With a single blink, the barren surroundings of the stone cave transformed. The seat remained the same. But the worn-down throne now gleamed as if it were brand new.
‘Was this how it originally looked?’
The once dilapidated, seemingly crumbling throne was now shining and luxurious. No—this was likely its appearance before it degraded over time.
Moreover—
‘Is this…a castle?’
The cold stone cave walls had disappeared, replaced by the grand and opulent architecture of a castle. The ceiling arched high like the sky, adorned with paintings depicting a battle between warriors on celestial steeds and demons.
The sheer grandeur made him wonder who on earth ruled this castle.
Screech—
A massive red door opened, heralding the entrance of someone who might answer his questions.
Step, step—
A tall, lean man in golden armor, holding a hammer, walked in and approached the throne. He did not seem to see Suhyuk. As though Suhyuk were invisible, the man gazed up at the empty throne and spoke.
“I am not yet worthy to sit there.”
Yet.
That word echoed in Suhyuk’s mind.
“Though you have prepared everything, I am still unworthy.”
What could he possibly be unqualified for?
The man stared wistfully at the throne for a long moment before turning to leave.
“I will return someday, when I am worthy to sit there.”
As he walked out of the grand hall, he uttered a name, the source of his monologue.
“…Father.”
*
His vision shifted back. After the short cutscene, the Thunder Cave’s scenery returned.
Crack—
A fissure formed in the throne where Suhyuk was seated.
– What?
– Huh?
The viewers were as bewildered as he was.
Crack, cr-crack—
The cracks rapidly spread across the throne, which soon collapsed entirely.
Crumble—
The throne disintegrated into dust and settled on the ground. Rising to his feet, Suhyuk stared at the remnants with a perplexed expression.
“What’s this?”
The throne had not just cracked but disintegrated into dust almost instantly, as if it had been holding on for an eternity. Within the debris, Suhyuk noticed a singular blue gleam.
‘A gem?’
Suhyuk slowly reached out his hand toward the gem. Just as his fingertips touched it—
『’You have conquered the Thunder Cave.’』
『’You have obtained the Empty Heart of Thunder.’』
『You have leveled up.』
『You have leveled up.』
『You have leveled up.』
『Strength increases by 2.』
『Agility increases by 2.』
『Stamina increases by 2.』
『Focus increases by 3.』
『You have earned performance points for the Mercenary Guild.』
A series of messages appeared.
Gaining three levels was excellent. Ending the raid while his stamina was waning was also a relief.
However, one thing stood out:
The Empty Heart of Thunder.
The item obtained as a reward from the Thunder Cave was the issue.
‘The name suggests it’s similar to the Heart of Lightning.’
But it being empty made the name somewhat ambiguous.
Moreover—
Empty Heart of Thunder
Grade: ??
??????
??????
The description was filled with nothing but question marks. It was unclear. Very unclear. If he at least knew its identity, he could judge whether it was good or bad.
‘The only clue is the item’s name.’
He had to derive hints from the item’s name. This was a first, but having some clue was better than none at all.
– What did you get?
– Show us too!
– Show (clap)! Show (clap)!
Naturally, the viewers were most curious about the dungeon reward. He had nothing to hide. If it were something grand, keeping it hidden might be justifiable, but revealing it later would only lead to unnecessary criticism.
Suhyuk promptly complied with the viewers’ request. Their reactions mirrored his own.
– Eh???
– What is this?
– Is it good…? Or not…?
Ambiguous reactions.
“Exactly my point.”
Suhyuk stifled a sigh. Perhaps he had been secretly hoping for something grand. In reality, he hadn’t come out entirely empty-handed.
‘No need to be too greedy.’
He had already gained a lot from the first room. As much as it was disappointing, he had obtained significant stat boosts thanks to the mark of thunder and learned the proper way to use the Heart of Lightning.
These achievements alone had exceeded his initial expectations.
‘It’s bound to be useful somehow.’
He may not know its immediate use, but this was a reward from conquering the once-impregnable Thunder Cave. Surely, it had its purpose. And perhaps, once he discovered that purpose, he would uncover the secrets behind the man and the throne seen in the cutscene.
‘The chat isn’t mentioning it at all.’
Typically, after a cutscene, viewers would be abuzz with interest in the story. But whether it was the giants from earlier or the recent cutscene, the viewers didn’t mention anything.
This implied that the cutscene hadn’t been shown on the stream.
‘Better to keep quiet for now.’
There was no need to boast about having seen such a cutscene. As a streamer, exposing one’s every move could be a serious weakness. But if he could keep some critical information to himself, he had no reason to stream it.
Suhyuk descended the stairs.
Schneider, nursing his injured leg, approached.
“What was that up there? What did you find?”
“This.”
Suhyuk cut him off and held out the blue gem.
“It was inside the crumbled throne.”
“What is it?”
“Check it out yourself.”
Suhyuk shared the item’s options with Schneider. His expression became even more crestfallen than Suhyuk’s had been.
“What… is this?”
“Your guess is as good as mine… though you might be the most curious.”
No matter how interested Suhyuk was in the gem’s nature, Schneider’s curiosity might surpass his. He had dedicated his life to Thunder Cave. The one most eager to know what lay at the end was undoubtedly Schneider.
“Sigh…”
Schneider let out a frustrated sigh.
“Looks like I’ll be one of your viewers until we figure this out.”
He had hoped this raid would free him from Thunder Cave’s grasp. Now he was bound to Suhyuk’s stream until the gem’s mystery was unveiled.
“Make sure to donate a lot.”
“I’ll be sure to do my part.”
Schneider no longer had a reason to stay confined to the third floor. After a decade, he resolved to climb higher once more.
‘He’ll do well.’
Schneider was already an exceptional player, enough to impress Suhyuk. Despite the long time it had taken to hone his skills, that time had refined Schneider into a formidable player.
He was likely to advance through the fourth, fifth floors, and beyond at an incredible pace.
“Alright, we have some accounting to do, don’t we?”
– Time for mission accounting
– He’s going to rake it in again, LOL
It was time to settle the missions for soloing the Thunder Cave.
“Do you acknowledge the solo?”
– Yes, absolutely
– No doubt
– Definitely solo, LOL
There was unanimous agreement. Schneider had never been part of the team, and the other players had been more of a burden.
There was no one who wouldn’t acknowledge it.
This meant—
『Mission accomplished.』
『Received 20,000 points from ‘MissionVillain’.』
『Mission accomplished.』
『Received 10,000 points from ‘SafeAsset’.』
『Mission…』
『…』
With the series of mission completions, a string of pleasant notifications appeared.
A total of six missions completed. Just as Suhyuk felt his mood lifting, the viewers shifted their discussion to another topic.
– How many performance points does Thunder Cave give?
– No idea
– We’d have to have conquered it to know
– Definitely in the tens of thousands range
Reading these chats, Suhyuk seized the moment.
“Everyone?”
He took this opportunity to speak.
“I’ll end the stream here for today.”
– ??????
– So sudden???
– Wait, hold on
As soon as viewers became curious, now was the perfect time to end the stream.
“Goodbye.”
TL’s Corner:
He passed out again.