Chapter 77
The next morning after the stream. Un Hyang came down to the first-floor lobby early to check the Players’ Community.
▶ Yesterday’s Lee Suhyuk Broadcast Legend ◀
The post had over a hundred upvotes and thousands of views. The video captured Suhyuk’s final remarkable move, where he seemingly vanished into thin air and then appeared to decapitate Ferius.
“Wow…”
She had watched it live, but even on replay, it was astonishing. While the speed at which he disappeared from sight was impressive, it wasn’t what impressed her the most.
It was the final moment when he swung his sword upside-down in mid-air.
‘How did he accurately decapitate from that position?’
Many players could move quickly. But few could control that speed so flawlessly. Without the ability to harness their speed, players who moved too fast would just become wild bulls, unpredictable and dangerous.
Most players Un Hyang observed, even those considered rankers, fell into that category.
Yet, Suhyuk—
‘He doesn’t make a single mistake even at that speed.’
During such rapid movement, Suhyuk performed a leap, flipping his body 180 degrees in mid-air. His world must have been upside down during those moments.
And yet, he executed a precise and fatal strike on Ferius. From Ferius’s perspective, Suhyuk must have seemed to vanish momentarily.
‘If it were me…’
She pondered briefly. Could she have done the same?
With that speed, using a skill from an item she had just acquired…
No, even if she were familiar with the skill, it would be the same.
‘One out of three times. That’s how often I’d succeed as clearly as he did.’
Meaning, it was virtually impossible. A technique that had only a one-in-three chance of success couldn’t be used reliably in real combat.
“Crazy, really…”
The more competent she was, the more astounding it was. Watching Suhyuk’s stream gave her the same thrill as watching Blue-Eyed Suhyuk from long ago.
Slurping her tea, Un Hyang took in the replay once more. Then she resumed browsing the community posts.
▶ The Real Reason Lee Suhyuk’s Bus Riders Are the Worst ◀
『One of those guys used to be in my party. Real jerk. Took all the loot and disappeared. And I saw him there lol』
– Really? Can you prove it?
– As expected, the proof police are here lol
– Honestly, if there’s no proof, then what?
– (OP) I posted proof in a separate thread. Check it out.
– It’s real;;;
– Suhyuk… I believed in you…
– It was Jeong29hyeon lol
Her lips curled into a grin. Up until yesterday, netizens who were looking for any flaw in Suhyuk’s actions had shifted the focus of their criticism.
It wasn’t just this post. Several posts had gone up targeting players who tried to leech off Suhyuk. Un Hyang made a call through her kit.
– What is it? You’re calling this early in the morning?
“What else could it be?”
– Yeah, it’s about the streamer Suhyuk. You wouldn’t be calling otherwise.
She heard a yawn through the line. It was faint, but Un Hyang’s sharp ears didn’t miss it.
“Did you stay up all night?”
-Yawn. Yeah, I did.
“You’re yawning again.”
-I had things to take care of.
“This, it’s your work, isn’t it, Team Leader?”
The reason Un Hyang had called John Dale early in the morning was due to the rapidly changing public opinion.
-Those posts?
“Yes. You knew immediately, so it must be your work.”
-It’s half true.
John Dale didn’t deny Un Hyang’s assumption.
-Well, it would’ve blown up eventually even if it wasn’t me. Those guys were nastier than I expected.
If the content of the posts were to be trusted, that was certainly the case. Not only had they taken advantage of the bus service, but they’d also backstabbed team members during trials and ran off without distributing rewards.
One of them was even a notorious scammer.
-Well, that’s the kind of people who would brashly take the bus ride.
“How did you manage it?”
-By tracking them down, one by one.
The reply was enough to make anyone’s jaw drop. That was the reason he stayed up all night. Finding their past deeds with just names and faces required digging into their history meticulously, a painstakingly manual task.
It was a job that couldn’t have been done without confidence that their past was shady. And John Dale had that confidence.
-From my experience, any jerk who blatantly messes with a streamer and extorts them is always a repeat offender.
John Dale had been certain they were habitual offenders.
-The public opinion was that maybe those guys genuinely tried their best and were decent players.
“Exactly.”
-So our job was simple. We had to prove those guys weren’t upstanding players but were scum that everyone loves to hate.
Un Hyang was impressed, knowing John Dale’s efficiency but not expecting him to handle things this quickly.
-So don’t be disappointed in streamer Lee Suhyuk. He didn’t do anything wrong.
“Excuse me?”
Un Hyang tilted her head in confusion.
“Why would I be disappointed?”
-Just in case.
A small sigh was audible through the device.
-You know, since you started managing streamer Lee Suhyuk, you’ve seemed a lot happier. You used to just collect a paycheck but now you’re actually working.
“Me?”
-Yeah. So don’t get disheartened and keep supporting streamer Lee Suhyuk. I believe a manager should be the streamer’s biggest fan.
“Team Leader, could it be…?”
It dawned on Un Hyang, so she asked,
“Did you do all this because of me?”
-Consider it a mix of reasons. Streamer Lee Suhyuk’s performance also made it worthwhile.
A half-admission. Un Hyang, uneasy, began touching her face. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of expression she had had before to be told this.
-Anyway, I’m hanging up. I heard there’s no stream today, right?
“Yes, that’s correct.”
-I’ll send some funds over. Make sure streamer Lee Suhyuk gets something good to eat. Ah, and let him know the next video will be uploaded tomorrow. Bye.
Click—
Ending the call with a piece of news sure to make Suhyuk dance with joy, the conversation with John Dale was over.
“…What a guy.”
Un Hyang mumbled while scratching her head.
“Thanks, I guess.”
***
After finishing the trial and stream, Suhyuk slept until late in the morning. He had been moving too busily until now. As soon as he finished hunting, he competed in a tournament, and then immediately attacked the Thunder Cave without a moment’s rest.
And even today, the day he decided to rest, was no exception.
‘What is this?’
Looking at the blue gem sparkling between his fingers, Suhyuk furrowed his brows.
‘I can’t figure out what this is used for…’
The difficulty of the Thunder Cave was not ordinary. It was questionable whether it was even created to be cleared.
The monsters appearing from the entrance of the cave, the dragon’s trial, and Ferius appearing at the end. It would have been impossible to win if he hadn’t gained stats and Minjae’s shoes before facing him.
‘A dungeon set at that level of difficulty on the third floor. It wouldn’t give just anything.’
This too, like the Heart of Lightning, would certainly be useful. The problem was that finding its use wouldn’t be easy. There was just one hint.
‘That cutscene…’
A man looking up at the throne where the orb was, unseen by the viewers. That man might know the identity of the orb.
‘If only I could find him.’
But where?
Finding him on the third floor is difficult. The time difference between the cutscene and the third floor wasn’t just decades but centuries.
Continuing to ponder, Suhyuk scratched his head.
“For now… I guess I have no choice but to continue as usual.”
In the first place, the Heart of Lightning, and the reward from the Thunder Cave. These were things he hadn’t obtained in his previous life.
And regarding the lightning, Suhyuk knew quite a bit. Even though the floors were different, the lightning trials wouldn’t end. The trials would continue on the next floor, and then the floor after that.
So.
‘I will head upwards for now.’
He had no intention of lingering on the third floor any longer. Though he didn’t intend to say that Schneider’s method was wrong, there was a reason many players met the conditions and headed straight up.
Above all, he was in a hurry. He wanted to kill Kim Ilsoo as soon as possible and meet his comrades again.
“Hoo-.”
Thinking that pondering alone wouldn’t reveal anything, Suhyuk put the orb back into his inventory. He considered swallowing it like the Heart of Lightning, but.
It wasn’t a trial, and he couldn’t afford to gamble here.
Knock-knock.
It was then that a visitor knocked on his door. There was only one person who would seek out Suhyuk in his current life.
Wearing the mask placed beside him, Suhyuk responded to the knock.
“Come in.”
Click-.
The unlocked door opened. Peeking in, Un Hyang looked at Suhyuk.
“Would you like to have a meal?”
She added a line.
“A very expensive one.”
***
In a lavishly set dining room. A feast of delicacies presented itself. Giant shrimp the size of one’s forearm, thick T-bone steaks, steaming soups, and various grilled dishes whose names were unknown.
Not just the ambiance but even the food itself screamed of high cost.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been to a place like this.’
Recently, he had been so focused on saving points that he hadn’t thought about investing money in meals. The only reason he could come here was thanks to Un Hyang.
“Didn’t we order too much?”
“It’s on the company’s dime, so we might as well eat well and leave the leftovers.”
“Is that really okay?”
“The team leader told me to buy you something expensive and tasty, Suhyuk-nim.”
Although they didn’t explicitly say ‘expensive,’ Un Hyang understood it that way.
“Eat up. If there’s something else you want, we can go for a round two.”
“Then, I’ll enjoy it without reservation.”
The food was quite delicious. Suhyuk felt no awkwardness since his personality matched well with Un Hyang’s.
Though most of the conversation revolved around streaming or other streamers, the dialogue flowed smoothly.
As the meal was drawing to a close.
“Ah, right. About the next video.”
Only after taking a bite of dessert did Un Hyang remember John Dale’s words.
“It’s supposed to go up tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? That’s quick.”
“The company has high expectations. They’ve been thrilled with Suhyuk’s recent reactions.”
Nom-.
Un Hyang naturally scooped ice cream into his mouth as he spoke, but Suhyuk still hadn’t internalized it.
“Really?”
“Yes, there hasn’t been another streamer like you rising so rapidly in our company, other than Bald Suhyuk.”
Bald Suhyuk.
A streamer from Balhae Entertainment, one who focused more on comedy than skill in their streams. And possibly, a streamer Suhyuk might collaborate with someday.
But.
“So, here’s the thing.”
Taking a deep sigh, Un Hyang asked with a concerned expression.
“How about reconsidering the collaboration with Bald Suhyuk?”