Chapter 93
A certain office located on the 9th floor. Lee Wonjae arrived there, sitting in front of a large, wide screen. Despite his busy schedule, the reason he came here was because of the commotion that took place early this morning.
“Begin.”
At Lee Wonjae’s single word and gesture, the people in the room sprang into action. Soon, the screen lit up. On the other side of it sat a person from a world too distant to reach this place, facing Lee Wonjae.
John Dale.
The head of Balhae Entertainment’s management division. Normally, they wouldn’t have exchanged even a word. However, “It’s an honor to meet such a high official, even like this.”
Ironically, now Lee Wonjae had to cater to the man’s mood. Thus, he put on a broad smile, something he rarely did, and spoke.
“No, the pleasure is mine. I’ve heard you’re the top contributor to Balhae’s success.”
“Top contributor? I’m just a salaried worker doing my job.”
They checked each other’s faces through the screen. Lee Wonjae glanced down briefly at the report on John Dale.
‘An elite background. He’s too good to be in such a small place.’
The report contained details about John Dale. It was the result of a thorough investigation by Blue Zone’s intelligence overnight.
He wasn’t someone who succeeded as a player. However, the achievements of John Dale were far from insignificant.
‘A former strategist of the ‘Mado’ guild until 15 years ago. A former core member of a major guild, now reduced to a mere team leader at a small company…’
Balhae was a large company. But no matter how big the dinosaur, when viewed from the sky, it was all the same size.
But John Dale was different. He was once a bird flying in the same sky as them. Though he failed as a player, he was a key member in running a guild.
The statement that he was the top contributor to Balhae Entertainment was no empty compliment.
“I’ve heard a lot about you too, vice-guildmaster. From long ago.”
“That’s embarrassing.”
“You’re the second most credited person after Guild Leader Kim Ilsoo for bringing Blue Zone this far. A living legend.”
Lee Wonjae’s eyebrows raised. The next most credited after Kim Ilsoo. It sounded like praise but felt oddly grating to his ears.
It felt like dragging the conversation would lead nowhere good. Lee Wonjae shifted the conversation’s direction.
“This conversation is getting long. Shall we discuss yesterday’s incident?”
John Dale nodded and corrected Lee Wonjae.
“Not just yesterday. It happened early this morning.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
“I deeply regret the incident. Not just me, but I believe our streamer does too.”
Twitch—
Lee Wonjae’s brow furrowed. He had thought John Dale would come out more humbly, but his tone was quite confrontational.
‘Should I try intimidating him?’
Lee Wonjae scrutinized John Dale in the short time he had.
‘…Not the type to be intimidated.’
A person’s strength isn’t solely judged by their physical prowess. Despite being on a screen, John Dale’s demeanor suggested he was mentally strong.
Trying to intimidate or threaten someone like him was foolish. It might escalate a manageable situation.
“We haven’t yet made a public statement about the incident. Considering the opponent, we need to be cautious. Haha.”
Lee Wonjae’s smile carried a single meaning beneath its facade.
Yet.
John Dale subtly implied that they could reveal the incident’s details anytime.
“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“Yes, I believe it’s a misunderstanding too. But the fact that your player attacked our streamer is undeniable…”
Trailing off briefly, John Dale looked directly at Lee Wonjae.
“If such an incident happens again, we will have no choice but to consider it intentional.”
And that meant—
If you mess with our streamer again, we will expose everything.
***
15 minutes.
John Dale thought the mere 15 minutes of this call felt like the longest 15 minutes of his life. When the video call ended with a perfunctory farewell, he finally exhaled the breath he had been holding back due to tension.
“Phuh—.”
Though he outwardly maintained a confident demeanor, it was natural for him to feel nervous. His opponent was Lee Wonjae. The second-in-command of a major guild.
A giant whom even the president of Balhae Entertainment, not just the team leader, would defer to.
“Great job.”
“Ah, right. Wow… it’s a relief we talked via video. If we had met in person, I would’ve suffocated to death.”
Gulp—
John Dale downed the water handed to him by an employee in one go. Only when his thirst was quenched did he begin to regain some composure.
“Still, you were amazing. You’re probably the only one in our company who can speak to Lee Wonjae that way.”
“Of course I had to. Do they think they can act like gangsters? How dare they mess with our streamer?”
Despite many years at Balhae with countless events, this was a first for him. A major guild risking its reputation to directly target a streamer was unheard of.
They must have been aware of the risks of failure.
‘Was the allure of the lightning that strong?’
It made sense. Blue Zone was nearly synonymous with Lee Suhyuk’s successor. His legacy’s symbolic power was so notable that it was the reason for Blue Zone’s current status.
Why else would they obsess over Thunder Cave?
It was all about acquiring the lightning skill that symbolized Lee Suhyuk.
But.
‘They must covet it, all of it.’
Name. Talent. And the symbolic power of the lightning. Lee Suhyuk was a spitting image of the past Lee Suhyuk, to the point where people might believe he was his reincarnation. He even wore the same mask while streaming.
Of course, the mask was more of a stream gimmick.
‘Still, things should be quiet for now.’
No matter how large, even the major guilds couldn’t override public opinion. Many other major guilds existed alongside Blue Zone.
They would have to tread carefully. If Balhae decided to turn this into a major issue and attack Blue Zone, it would cause trouble for the rest as well.
However, ‘…only for now.’
The silence wouldn’t last forever. The more valuable Lee Suhyuk became, the more attention he would attract. The sweeter the fruit, the more insects it would draw.
“Today’s stream is canceled, right?”
John Dale asked, and an employee replied.
“Yes. It seems he’s quite shaken.”
“Understandable. After going through that, it’s only natural to be shocked.”
Real and trial fights were starkly different. While fundamentally similar, real conflicts equated directly to life and death.
How one handles that terror often separates top players from the rest, yet the aftermath of a first real battle affects everyone.
“Tell him to get plenty of rest. If he can overcome this, he’ll become an even greater…”
“Uh, Team Leader.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“He said he’s starting the stream. Lee Suhyuk.”
John Dale’s eyes widened, interrupting his speech.
“What?”
And at that moment,
『’Lee Suhyuk’ has started streaming.』
Lee Suhyuk’s stream went live.
***
It was a late afternoon.
『’Lee Suhyuk’ has started streaming.』
An unexpected notification.
Viewers flocked in with the feeling of receiving an unexpected gift.
– ㅅㅎ
– Wasn’t today a break?
– ㄱㅇㄷ
– Take off your pants~!
Though there was no sound, it felt deafening even to his ears. Once a sufficient number of viewers had gathered, Suhyuk turned on the microphone.
“Sorry, I’m a bit late.”
– ㄱㅊㄱㅊ (It’s okay, it’s okay)
– Did something happen?
– It’s fine since you’re here
“It’s hard to go into detail. For those feeling frustrated, I’ll give a hint: it’s related to this morning’s stream.”
– Ah… that…
– ㅇㅎ; (Got it)
– As expected ㄷㄷ (wow)
– Can’t blame you
He had announced through a stream that he was attacked on his way back. Fortunately, given the seriousness of the situation, the viewers weren’t being too inquisitive. Some were nosy enough to dig for details, but that was quickly quelled.
– Are you up for today’s challenge?
As an expected question came in, Suhyuk nodded.
“Yes. I’ll be heading there today.”
– Not much time left
– But if you win without losing a match, it should be possible
– Though it looked tough from what I saw last night;;
– The difficulty of the matches goes up as the score increases. It’s a given, but in Suhyuk’s case, it was a bit more pronounced.
While he could gain 40 points per match, the difficulty seemed to double accordingly.
『The match is starting.』
Flash-.
The atmosphere changed and the scene of the arena came into view. It was a familiar feeling now.
A winding path. With cliffs on both sides and abandoned, moldy houses scattered around.
The box was so large it required both arms to hold it tightly. The main task of the match was for one person to carry this box while the others protected it.
“What’s this?”
“A bug?”
“Oh, Lee Suhyuk?”
Now, these reactions were quite familiar. One person recognized Suhyuk and widened their eyes. Interacting felt like it would unnecessarily prolong the conversation.
There wasn’t time for chatting. Today’s focus was on advancing to the next floor rather than the stream’s progress.
Clench-.
Suhyuk grabbed the box without a word.
“Hey, wait.”
“Shouldn’t we decide on our positions before moving-.”
At that moment.
Crackle-.
Electricity sparked from Suhyuk’s feet.
Boom-!
Before anyone realized it, Suhyuk had already distanced himself from the rest of his team. He explosively accelerated, sprinting straight towards the destination where the box had to be delivered.
“What is that?”
“Already here?”
The opposing team spotted Suhyuk and couldn’t believe their eyes. Not even 30 seconds had passed since the match began. Yet, Suhyuk had already reached halfway to the goal, near the opposing team’s starting point.
The distance between them quickly narrowed. There was no time for overthinking.
“Block him!”
“Grab the box first!”
“He seems confident in his speed, but what can he do holding the box alone…?”
Thunk-.
At that moment, Suhyuk threw the box he was holding into the air. His hands were briefly free.
Then,
Flash-!
With a yellow flash, Suhyuk’s sword sliced through the throats of four opposing players.
“Indeed.”
Thunk-.
The box he had thrown into the air landed back in Suhyuk’s hands. Turning back towards the goal, Suhyuk responded to the words he couldn’t hear from his opponents.
“I’m more confident than you think. Much more.”