Chapter 27
The stage was called ‘The Lightning’s Path’. Besides the na, there was nothing he knew about the place.
A seemingly endless white space stretched out before him.
“They said there’s a lightning strand hidden here…” He didn’t bother adjusting the microphone as he spoke. Nobody was nearby anyway. “There seems to be nothing here, though.”
– Lol.
– There really isn’t anything.
– It seems the the of this test is a prank.
The white space was so startlingly empty that it was almost confusing, but there was no way things ended there.
‘It isn’t that there’s nothing here. It probably just looks like that.’
It was a trial, and he was a player who had to sohow pass it. That being the case, he had to find a clue.
‘I just can’t ignore the na. The stage was called ‘Legend’, and he was in ‘The Lightning’s Path’. If all he had was the na, he needed to find so aning to it.
Su-hyeok looked around. It didn’t matter whether he rolled his eyes or moved his head—his view remained unchanged.
Squeak—
When he realized having his eyes open or closed made no difference, he kept his eyes shut. ‘This isn’t a trial where you can find sothing with your eyes.’
That ant there was only one way to clear it—he had to find sothing that couldn’t be seen.
BZZT—
With his eyes closed, he felt his surroundings with his body. Just a little bit ahead, there was a faintly familiar sensation. His skin tingled. Sothing was flowing in that space.
He opened his eyes again and looked for a stone on the ground. He needed to confirm his theory.
– What is he doing?
– He’s moving.
– What is he looking for?
– A stone?
Su-hyeok grabbed a stone. ‘It’s an old-fashioned thod, but…’ There was nothing he could do about it. For soone like him, old-fashioned thods were the ones that were the most fitting.
Swish—
With all his might, he threw the stone toward the long white path before him.
Crack—!
With a loud spark, the stone he’d thrown was charred black mid-flight. The sight of the stone bouncing like popcorn with a loud spark in the seemingly empty air was truly shocking.
– Woah.
– What happened?
– What kind of trial is this?
Nurous questions poured in. It was a natural reaction to the enigmatic trial’s contents.
Su-hyeok tried to explain what he’d realized. “It’s lightning.”
– Lightning?
– Yes. The na of this place is ‘The Lightning’s Path’.
– So the stone exploded because of lightning.
Su-hyeok nodded. “It’s just like the map’s na implies—it seems I have to walk through the lightning…”
Step—
He slowly began walking.
BZZ, BZZT—
A tingling sensation stimulated his skin. It was such a familiar sensation that it even felt welco. The place was covered in lightning.
“It seems that the the this ti is ‘patience’.” He reached out his hand, but it bounced off of empty space with a spark like the stone had.
BZZT—!
His mouth fell open in disbelief as he clenched and unclenched his fist. “The trial is telling to die.”
– It seems so.
– Trial: This ti, please die.
– Lol.
– Grilled Su-hyeok~
Although he’d said it like a joke, that wasn’t the case. He felt intense electricity flowing all over the place. Based on what he learned from the stone, things were much worse farther inside.
He needed to endure it and move forward? It felt like the trial was telling him to commit suicide.
“This is ridiculous…” Su-hyeok stood still for a mont without saying anything. For anyone watching, it looked like he was hesitating.
[‘Allergic to Air’ has donated 100 points.]
[Are you going to take the challenge?]
That was what he was waiting for. Su-hyeok’s lips curled into a smile.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator – SCM
Proofreader – ilafy
Join our discord for updates on releases!!
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* * *
Creak—
The old chair wobbled precariously.
Siwoo and Yeryeong, who were sitting facing each other, observed each other’s reactions.
To be more precise, Siwoo was looking for Yeryeong’s reactions.
“What are you doing?”
Flinch—
Siwoo’s shoulders trembled slightly at Yeryeong’s question. He stealthily hid the kit he was holding and asked, “Wh-what about you?”
“The sa as always.” After turning her kit to him, Yeryeong said, “Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t watching that stream. I really quit.”
“Ah… Y-yes.”
“What’s up with that reaction?” Yeryeong asked, puzzled.
Siwoo broke out in a cold sweat, and his gaze flicked to the player kit in his hand. ‘Because I’m watching it right now.’
He couldn’t say that. He’d gotten mad at Yeryeong and told her to stop watching Lee Su-hyeok-related broadcasts. However, he was watching it himself. How could he say that without feeling embarrassed?
“I just wanted to say good job.” It was a rather awkward lie.
Yeryeong, who’d been giving Siwoo a suspicious look, soon lost interest.
After calming his pounding heart, Siwoo focused on the stream again.
[There seems to be nothing here, though.]
The test site was completely white. There was nothing to see. The only thing moving was the rapidly-scrolling chat.
‘What do they want him to do there? I wish I could be there.’ If he had been there, he would have probably been able to find sothing. After all, this trial was about finding sothing invisible.
Through the kit, he could only see what was happening, and the visual aspect didn’t matter much in that trial. He frowned in frustration for a mont; then he saw Lee Su-hyeok picking up sothing.
‘A stone?’
Swoosh—
The stone shot through the air, and a bright light covered the screen imdiately after.
BZZT—!
Electricity exploded with golden light.
Siwoo’s eyes sparkled. ‘It’s lightning.’ He’d found the clue. Sure enough…
[It’s just like the map’s na implies—it seems I have to walk through the lightning…]
‘Yes, that’s it!’ When he saw the strear think the sa way he did, Siwoo felt joy from a stream for the first ti in his life.
Wasn’t Su-hyeok a player who had just reached the 2nd floor? He was quite talented. Not only were his skills incredible, but there was no hesitation in how he went and progressed through the trial.
Also…
[The trial is telling to die.] He even told lighthearted jokes during the trial.
‘He really… reminds of Su-hyeok.’ While watching him, Siwoo had the absurd thought that maybe the guy might be a reincarnated Su-hyeok. He finally understood why Yeryeong had gotten addicted to his stream, and he glanced around apologetically.
‘I don’t think he’ll be able to do this.’ Just by seeing how the stone got burned, one could tell how much electricity was flowing there. That wasn’t sothing a 2nd-floor player could endure.
It was known that players who reached higher floors had bodies harder than rock or steel, but that strear had just reached the 2nd floor. As a player, he was still a newbie.
‘Well, he got this trial after defeating the giants’ leader in the first place. That’s why he was given one with such difficulty.’ He wasn’t in a situation to complain about the difficulty.
The harder the trial was, the greater the reward. Strear Lee Su-hyeok had already received the Lightning skill. Naturally, he was just taking the next step. It wouldn’t have made sense for him to get an easy trial.
‘If this were him…’
“There’s no such thing as an impossible trial.”
It was a phrase Su-hyeok always used to say when faced with difficulties. He didn’t know when to give up. Even while they were hesitating with the hydra’s subjugation, Su-hyeok confidently said, “What’s there to worry about? I will win anyway.”
He really ended up doing it and managed to take down the hydra. If it weren’t for Kim Ilsu’s betrayal, he would have truly beco a hero.
Su-hyeok never stopped challenging the tower. He didn’t know when to give up, and in the end, he always succeeded. That was who Lee Su-hyeok was.
‘What are you going to do?’ Siwoo’s eyes shone while looking at the stream. Even if Su-hyeok died in the trial, he wouldn’t die in real life. If you died in a trial, though, you would end up losing the reward you got in the previous stage.
In the case of the strear, he would end up receiving the worst possible penalty—he would lose the Lightning skill he got after so much effort.
‘Will you take on the challenge, or will you stop here?’
The screen was frozen. Strear Su-hyeok seed to hesitate for a mont. That attitude was clearly different from the Su-hyeok Siwoo knew. Gradually, his expectations faded.
[‘Allergic to Air’ has donated 100 points.]
[Are you going to take the challenge?]
At the top right corner of the screen, a ssage appeared along with a donation.
[‘Mission Villain’ has registered a mission.]
[You won’t be able to resist a mission, lol. 1.000 points if you succeed.]
[‘Lee Su-hyeok, I love you’ has donated 1.000 points.]
[Mr. Su-hyeok, please don’t do it ㅠㅠ. If you fail, you will lose the Lightning skill.]
[‘Let’s live, player’ has registered a mission.]
[2,000 points if you succeed.]
ssages poured in. So people were discouraging him from challenging, but most were urging him through.
In the end, the viewers wanted to see more stimulating and fun trials. Moreover, the Lee Su-hyeok the viewers wanted to see could overco all adversities and successfully clear the trials.
“Everyone…” Su-hyeok made a decision. “Thank you for your donations.” His answer was full of confidence, as if he’d already cleared the trial.
That attitude also resembled the Su-hyeok Siwoo knew, but… ‘This guy was intending to challenge it from the start.’ The reason for hesitation was too different.
– He can’t resist money, lol.
– Even if he dies, points are points~
– Seeing this, he really is Su-hyeok 2.0.
– For real, the true Su-hyeok wasn’t interested in points, lol.
Points were the currency of the world and the lifeline of players. No one hated money. Streaming was also a job, and one worked to earn money.
Still, the Su-hyeok he knew would have never risked his life for points. He’d said that a great player should make money chase them, not the other way around.
‘He’s different from Su-hyeok.’ Of course, he knew the person who was streaming was soone who had just taken on the concept of Lee Su-hyeok. What made him stand out from others was that he’d acquired the Lightning skill and ticulously copied his speech and actions.
In essence, he was just a guy making points by using the image of Siwoo’s friends.
“We’re both the sa. We can’t break free from Lee Su-hyeok’s shadow.” He recalled what he’d said the previous day.
‘You idiot, what are you doing?’ He beca angry with himself.
He’d known all along that the strear wasn’t the real Su-hyeok. Su-hyeok, who had already cleared the 8th floor’s trial, wouldn’t be able to return to the 2nd floor’s trial. Above all, he wouldn’t be selling his image through streaming.
After all, what mattered to him wouldn’t be points—it would be getting revenge on Kim Ilsu.
‘What was I expecting?’ Only then did Siwoo wake up from his dream.
Thud—
On the screen, strear Lee Su-hyeok started walking the Lightning’s Path.
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