Chapter 85
Suhyuk entered the forest once again. He could exert influence on all lanes from there, and given his relatively low stats, securing stats in the forest was most suitable.
The game had been underway for about 3 minutes. Just as he had defeated around 10 neutral monsters, a message popped up.
『’Golimaek’ has defeated ‘Dedor’.』
A red message indicating that an ally had been taken down by an enemy.
‘Already?’
The game had barely started.
And the crucial mid lane had been breached.
– This isn’t a good start.
– Doesn’t matter. Give it 5 minutes and he’ll be raining lightning, vaporizing a whole lane.
– It’s trivial~
One death wasn’t a huge issue by itself. But something felt off. Just a hunch, but…
‘It wouldn’t be strange to encounter someone soon.’
His instincts in these situations were rarely wrong. Suhyuk moved to verify his suspicion.
Swoosh-.
Approaching the forest near the mid lane, Suhyuk saw Dedor facing off against an enemy. Dedor seemed to stumble, losing his balance and leaning forward. At that moment, the enemy’s iron club crushed Dedor’s head.
Squish-!
『’Golimaek’ has defeated ‘Dedor’.』
The same message appeared again.
Dedor sent an apologetic message to the team. Though he apologized, Suhyuk was certain.
“He’s intentionally throwing the game.”
– Intentional trolling.
– Purposefully causing the team to lose.
– Such players were not uncommon.
When conflicts with teammates grew unbearable, some players would throw the game out of frustration. But this wasn’t one of those situations.
– Right.
– He’s dying too obviously.
– Did he think we wouldn’t notice?
– Why’s he doing that?
It was still early in the game, and Dedor hadn’t had any conflicts with the team. For trolling to occur, there usually needed to be a motive, typically conflict with teammates.
While some players might throw games for fun, it was unlikely at the Platinum level. This left only one possible explanation.
“Someone must have paid him off with points.”
He must have been promised some kind of reward for throwing the game.
Sure enough,
– That guy is a streamer named Water Moth. Safety Asset placed a mission for him to lose.
A viewer reported this information. And verifying the report was the task of the curious viewers.
– Whoa, it’s true.
– Safety Asset is so petty.
– Does he really want to go this far, lol.
– If Suhyuk loses even one game, he has to forfeit all the points earned so far.
That was the bet between Suhyuk and Safety Asset.
“So this is how you want to play?”
Suhyuk’s eyes, visible outside his mask, narrowed sharply. He had considered the possibility of a teammate trolling, but he hadn’t expected it to be part of a mission from Safety Asset.
‘The usual methods won’t work.’
With an ally intentionally trolling, one lane was completely ruined. If he stuck to his regular strategy, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the enemy’s growth.
Therefore,
‘Though it’s a bit late, I have no choice but to increase the tempo now.’
Suhyuk, who had been hunting neutral monsters, changed his course.
Since they played dirty, he had to use a more dangerous tactic.
Throughout the match, Johan was in a good mood.
For reasons unknown, the enemy’s mid lane was throwing. It would have been frustrating if it were his own team, but now he was on the benefiting end.
‘This is an easy win.’
He leisurely hunted neutral monsters. There was no need to perform any special roles for his position. Winning was just a matter of farming.
『’Golimaek’ has defeated ‘Dedor’.』
And another pleasing message appeared. Johan continued hunting neutral monsters.
Caw-!
A giant crow, larger than a person, opened its beak and cried loudly. The neutral monster, blackbeak. It awarded stats equivalent to about five soldiers.
“So tedious, this guy too.”
He had defeated it thousands of times. After wandering through this phase for several years, Johan longed to move up. Johan, wearing sturdy gloves, swung his fist at Blackbeak.
Thunk-.
Caw-!
Blackbeak’s aggro was directed at Johan.
And at that moment, there was a flash from the bushes.
Boom-!
Instinctively, Johan reacted. His reflexes, honed by experience and bolstered by the Diamond-level stats, kicked in.
But even so, avoiding a sudden flash of light from a hidden location was impossible.
“Ugh-.”
A yellow beam pierced Johan’s shoulder. His shoulder was momentarily paralyzed. The additional attack came from the Blackbeak he was fighting.
Caw-!
Thunk-.
The giant beak pierced Johan’s side. He lost his balance, his mind reeling from the impact.
Swoosh-.
And without a moment to breathe, an enemy blade pierced his neck.
“One down.”
Thunk-.
『’Lee Suhyuk’ has defeated ‘Johan’.』
『’Lee Suhyuk’ has defeated ‘Johan’.』
It was the third time the same message had appeared.
Golimaek, who had just destroyed the first statue, finally lost his cool.
“You idiots!”
It was a game they could have won effortlessly. Yet this team couldn’t even manage that. Three times. By now, the impact on his own team was undeniable.
『’Johan: He’s in our forest, why aren’t you stopping him?’』
『’Siniel: He only kills when the lane is pushed, so we can’t do anything.’』
『’Rebelli: What are we supposed to do if he’s dead before we can cover?’』
The team’s atmosphere was tense. Tension was slowly causing fractures. If one more team member decided to throw the game, things could easily tilt against them.
『’Golimaek: Let’s take it slow. I’m well-fed; I can carry this.’』
It wasn’t just an empty encouragement. Golimaek genuinely believed it. His base rank was higher, and he was still leading with 2 extra kills.
As long as he met Lee Suhyuk head-on, he was convinced he could win. With that in mind, Golimaek continued the game.
But then.
Step-.
Following the lane where the first statue had been destroyed. He saw an unfamiliar face walking toward him.
“What the…?”
No. He couldn’t see the face. It was hidden behind a mask. And that mask was the most recognizable feature of the opponent.
“Lee Suhyuk?”
The streamer known for his Lee Suhyuk persona, whose real name was indeed Lee Suhyuk. A player who not only had the skills but also matched the persona, stepped out of the forest and confronted Golimaek head-on.
But.
‘A Silver, seriously?’
Regardless of his reputation, he was still a Silver. Using only 75% of his potential stats, a pitiful rank.
The reasons Lee Suhyuk had managed to gather kills so far were twofold. First, he had ambushed allies hunting neutral monsters, and second, his lightning skill was well-suited for the forest.
Which meant, “You’ve made a mistake, haven’t you?”
If Lee Suhyuk stepped out of the forest, he wasn’t that intimidating.
“What mistake?”
“Why’d you leave the forest?”
“Why else? To fight.”
Golimaek snorted at Suhyuk’s reply. He knew Suhyuk was a great player. He had watched his streams, although only once.
But that was when they were in the same rank bracket.
“You’re being reckless.”
Golimaek was convinced. Leaving the forest to engage directly was a blunder on Suhyuk’s part.
“Did you receive a mission? To stop skirmishing and have a real fight?”
“Too bad. I wish there was such a mission.”
“Even if there was, you wouldn’t get it.”
Golimaek sneered as he spoke.
“In reality, maybe. But here, how could I possibly lose?”
Silver versus Diamond. The difference in stats was more than double. Three Silver players couldn’t defeat one Diamond player.
Moreover, Golimaek wasn’t just any Diamond either.
“Thanks to someone, I got a lot of kills.”
5 kills.
Although they were mostly one-sided from a single player, this had allowed Golimaek to grow significantly. And Suhyuk knew this well.
“That’s true.”
Golimaek was different from other opponents. Suhyuk’s level and stats were fundamentally higher than most players.
While he was able to defeat multiple players alone thanks to good skills and outstanding control, the impact of his stats couldn’t be ignored.
That’s why a Silver player like him got matched in games with Platinum and Diamond-ranked players. But the stats Golimaek had accumulated from multiple kills in a short duration were much higher than Suhyuk’s current stats.
However, “If fighting was just about stats, there’d be no need for the game.”
This wasn’t a card game where damage numbers were fixed.
“Stats are just one of many indicators. They don’t necessarily prove absolute strength.”
“…So?”
“If you start acting like you’ve already won before the battle even begins—”
Crackle-.
Electricity began to flow slowly from Suhyuk’s fingertips.
“I, on the other hand, think I’m going to win.”
It wasn’t mere a bluff. Even with the same stats, the effectiveness depended greatly on who wielded them.
It took considerable time for the body to adapt to even a single stat increase. There was no way a rookie like Golimaek, building stats rapidly through leveling and farming, could handle it.
It was a difficult task, even for Suhyuk, who had previously handled much higher stats. Most importantly, ‘This should be enough.’
3 kills.
Additionally, he had hunted all the neutral monsters near the enemy’s base to gather stats. He restored the stats lost due to his Silver rank, and also added up to 50% more stats.
『Status Window』
『Name: Lee Suhyuk』
『Affiliation: Earth』
『Level: 40』
『Strength: 42』+21
『Agility: 38』+19
『Stamina: 40』+2+20
『Focus: 36』+18
『Magic: 49』+19
He felt power surging through his body. Although he wasn’t at Golimaek’s level, it was enough.
Crackle, crackle-.
Electricity flowed from his fingertips, spreading throughout his body. The yellow hue darkened, turning black. Another heart beside his own thudded violently, warning of the danger.
But for now, even the warning felt exhilarating.
‘How long has it been since I felt this?’
The thrill of walking a tightrope. The electrifying sensation of feeling like he could incinerate himself if he lost focus for even a second made Suhyuk’s eyes gleam.
And at that moment,
Boom-!
With a thunderclap, lightning struck Suhyuk’s body. Demonstrating a power once shown by the late Lee Suhyuk.
『‘Lightning Lord’ dwells in your body.』
TL’s Corner:
Watch out, we’ve got an inter over here.