Chapter 99
『Title: Marathon』
At the sight of Suhyuk’s stream title, the viewers immediately forgot about the three-day hiatus.
– Marathon?
– So that’s why he took a break LOL
– He took a break to gather momentum!
– Let’s go Marathon!
The sudden three-day break. Viewers assumed that the time off was a preparation period for Marathon (a marathon completion stream).
They weren’t entirely wrong. During that time, Suhyuk had indeed received a procedure from Jinwoon in preparation for the next trial.
Standing before the pristine white portal that marked the start of his next challenge, Suhyuk turned on his stream for the first time in a while. After a brief clearing of his throat, he began to speak awkwardly.
“Hello, everyone. It’s been a while.”
– Still as soulless as ever
– Everything but streaming he’s good at, lol
– Still handsome (with the mask on)
The atmosphere of the stream was familiar. Despite the short hiatus, the number of viewers seemed to have increased, rather than diminished.
Only five minutes into the stream, and the viewer count had already surpassed ten thousand.
『Viewers: 10,107』
The growth in viewer numbers was remarkable. Even after taking a break, the growth seemed accelerated. There was a clear reason.
‘The challenge, maybe.’
It was likely due to the recently uploaded video.
“The Lee Suhyuk Challenge has gained significant popularity. The video views are high, and many streamers have attempted it thanks to Falcon Eye’s cash prize.”
The Lee Suhyuk Challenge. This challenge, born from Falcon Eye’s boast that no one but Lee Suhyuk could succeed, had gone viral, serving as a driving force for spreading the name of streamer Lee Suhyuk further.
Each time a confident streamer failed, Lee Suhyuk’s reputation soared. Others couldn’t do it, but he could?
Curiosity about streamer Lee Suhyuk spread like wildfire. Eager to satisfy that curiosity, viewers began eagerly awaiting Suhyuk’s streams.
– Hello, hello
– Is this the Lee Suhyuk from the Challenge?
– Are you doing the Challenge?
– Please show it once
– Requests flooded in.
Among them were even a few donations, making the situation a bit tricky. Regardless of the amount, it wasn’t feasible to go find a scarecrow and leave for the trial right away.
“Seems like many new viewers are here today. I apologize, but there’s no Challenge planned for today’s stream.”
– Then what’s the plan?
“Not sure what it’ll be…but…”
A plan. Truthfully, there wasn’t one. The goal of today’s stream was straightforward.
“I promise to show you something more exciting than the Challenge.”
To pass the trial and proceed to the next level in the best possible manner.
– A promise…
– Getting hyped
– Something big coming?
– How far will this ‘something big’ grow?
The chat exploded, scrolling quickly with excitement at Suhyuk’s declaration. Despite only one statement, it ignited anticipation among the viewers for something significant in today’s stream.
Reflecting on their response, Suhyuk felt renewed determination. He knew what he had to deliver to his viewers. The expectation was his constant challenge, and he committed to not letting them down.
‘Let’s see what we get.’
The nature of the trial was crucial for this. The fifth floor held special significance for players. Only from the fifth floor onwards, they faced trials tailored to their unique abilities.
‘For me, it was always about Lightning.’
For Suhyuk, naturally, it was Lightning.
From the fifth floor onward, he consistently received trials related to Lightning.
And perhaps, this time would be no different.
“Then…”
Step—
Suhyuk took a step forward.
『10,000 points paid.』
『The trial of the fifth floor begins.』
“Let’s begin.”
*
Color seeped back into the previously blank world. His foggy vision cleared, gradually revealing the surrounding landscape.
“… Hey.”
What initially sounded like a distant noise grew clearer. It seemed the trial was off to a rough start.
“… Get lost!”
A burly, muscular man with dark skin, brandishing a spear, glared at Suhyuk, shouting vehemently.
What was he supposed to do from the get-go?
The system understood the situation for him.
『The trial of the fifth floor begins.』
『Stage 1 – Prove Your Worth as a Warrior.』
『Fight and win against the warriors of Valhalla.』
Stage 1.
Judging by the description, this trial appeared to be a scenario-based sequence where Suhyuk had to clear successive stages, similar to the second-floor trial.
‘Valhalla?’
The name rang a bell. The grave of great warriors, a realm where gods rest after death. Winning against a Valhalla warrior from the start suggested a grand scale.
– Who’s that?
– Just take him down quickly
– Valhalla? Sounds familiar
The battleground seemed to be just outside a cave. The warrior stood guard there.
‘Is he guarding that place?’
Suhyuk glanced at the cave behind the warrior. It looked suspicious. The fight with the warrior seemed connected to his journey into the cave.
Noticing Suhyuk’s gaze towards the cave, the warrior could no longer contain himself and finally pointed his spear at Suhyuk.
“It seems…”
Whoosh—
Leaping several meters into the air, the spear’s trajectory aimed straight for Suhyuk’s head.
“Words won’t suffice, then!”
Boom—
The spear had substantial power. If it struck, it could easily split a person and even shatter rocks.
‘Comparable to Schneider.’
A formidable skill level indeed, enough to instantly subdue an average fifth-floor player. But naturally, Suhyuk wasn’t included in that ‘average.’
“Here we go.”
Blue electric currents crackled around Suhyuk’s body, and in an instant, he dodged the descending spear.
– Here comes the Lightning!
– This is what I was waiting for!
– Let’s see that Lightning!
Suhyuk readied himself, electricity dancing around him, signifying his intent to unleash the power of Lightning.
The trial had just begun, and both Suhyuk and his viewers were eager to see how he’d fare against the warriors of Valhalla.
Suddenly, a spear swung and fell into Suhyuk’s grip.
“……!”
The warrior’s eyes widened in astonishment. As if the spear had been embedded in solid rock, it didn’t budge an inch. At that moment, when a question mark popped up in his mind, wondering what had happened.
Boom-!
An explosion of electricity erupted from the warrior’s chest. The grip on the spear loosened. With the explosion, the body floated and the warrior was thrown far away.
Thud, thud-.
The body, along with the armor, rolled on the floor. In front of Suhyuk, who grabbed the spear and punched the warrior’s solar plexus with an electrified fist, a message appeared.
『You have completed ‘Warrior’s Qualification’.』
『You have passed Stage 1.』
『You have leveled up.』
『Strength increased by 1.』
『Agility increased by 1.』
『Focus increased by 1.』
『You have gained 5000 points.』
『You have acquired the Warrior’s Pendant.』
A level up. And an item with unknown options. Although the reward for passing one stage was a bit disappointing, it wasn’t bad. After all, the difficulty of the test itself was low.
‘Or should I say it might not be entirely easy?’
The first stage is a measure to evaluate the difficulty of the test. In that sense, the test to defeat the warrior in front of him couldn’t be considered easy.
A warrior with skills comparable to Schneider. Mediocre players would need considerable time just to defeat that warrior.
“Beyond this point…….”
Stagger-.
At that moment. The warrior, whom he thought had collapsed, was struggling to get up.
“Can… go…….”
Sway-.
He kept getting up and falling down repeatedly. From the system recognizing his defeat, it was clear he was already incapacitated. Yet he kept trying to stand up. His mental strength was really something.
“What’s beyond that makes you do this?”
Suheyok’s simple curiosity turned into a question due to the warrior’s reaction. He approached the warrior who was nearly crumbling, or rather, already crumbled, and asked.
The warrior in front of him was the only clue and starting point of the test. There was no way he was there without reason.
Enemy, or perhaps an ally.
Or neither?
The answer was with the man.
But then.
“Just… kill me, you bastard!”
The man’s reply was completely unexpected.
-What kind of sudden outburst is this?
-Uh, no;; I just wanted to ask a simple question
The viewers were of the same mind as Suhyuk. He genuinely didn’t know and asked, only to be told to kill right away. There was some misunderstanding.
“I’m not going to kill you. So…….”
“Kill me!”
“Ugh, should I just kill him?”
-LOLOLOL LOL
-He probably wanted to commit s*****e LOLOLOL
It was frustrating. Looking at his eyes, his resolve was firm. It seemed he was really prepared to die. It appeared that nothing could be learned from the warrior in front of him.
‘Might as well check it out myself.’
With that thought, Suhyuk started to head towards the cave behind the warrior.
“There’s no need for that.”
Step-.
From the dark cave, someone walked out, speaking in a beautiful voice like a crystal-clear gem.
“Because he is not an enemy.”
Seeing the woman emerging from the cave, Suhyuk was momentarily speechless. Long, slender golden hair as if spun from silk. Eyes so large they seemed to have jumped out of a cartoon.
Her figure was hidden by a silver armor, but even that seemed deliberately adorned to enhance her appearance. Among the women Suhyuk had seen in this life, she was as beautiful as Un Hyang.
-OMG
-Nuna…
-(Chat from a dead person)
Now he understood the viewers’ commotion. But he couldn’t keep staring, considering Un Hyang’s appearance wasn’t lacking either.
“V-Valkyrie…”
Hearing the fallen warrior’s shocked words, Suhyuk’s gaze wavered.
‘Valkyrie?’
A female warrior clad in silver armor. Suhyuk had encountered Valkyries during a trial long ago. Noble female warriors who stood at the forefront of battles alongside the great god Odin.
That was what Valkyries were.
But.
‘Why is a Valkyrie here?’
Suhyuk asked, hardly believing it.
“Is this Valhalla? Or Asgard?”
“See.”
The woman smirked at his question and asked back.
“Do you not know where you are?”
“Would I ask if I knew?”
“While I didn’t think you were an enemy, this is unexpected.”
Taken aback by the unexpected question, she revealed her name.
“I’m Viola. As you’ve heard, I am a Valkyrie. I don’t know how you know about us, but this is not Valhalla. Nor is it Asgard.”
“Then where?”
“This is somewhere along the borders of the Conrad Kingdom.”
-Conrad???
-What???
The Conrad Kingdom. The name was familiar. Suhyuk had taken a trial set in the Conrad Kingdom on the 3rd floor.
“What brings you to the human realm?”
“I was given a mission. Although I failed.”
Viola spoke with difficulty, suggesting it was a painful subject. A Valkyrie failing a mission. He got a feeling. This trial was related to the mission of the Valkyrie, Viola, standing before him.
“What is it? That mission.”
When Suhyuk asked with eyes shining, the fallen warrior revived once again.
“V-Valkyrie! Be careful. In case….”
“There’s no ‘in case’, Vigo. He knows who I am and doesn’t attack.”
“But….”
“Besides-.”
Viola continued, looking into Suhyuk’s eyes.
“He possesses the power of lightning.”
That was why she trusted Suhyuk.