Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Bat Infestation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Six......’
Lee Soo-hyuk's eyes sparkled.
The steadily rising number.
Probably because new viewers kept pouring in while none were leaving.
"Land eels usually don't move alone."
Slash-.
Splash-!
Soo-hyuk's sword cleaved through another land eel's neck.
"You have to watch your feet, but check the walls too. These things stick to the rocks, not the ground."
He slashed at a blank wall, and a land eel's neck came off.
Once might be luck, but two or three times? That's no fluke.
Not only spotting the sneaky land eels with ease but one-shotting their necks—the reaction was explosive.
Only six viewers, but the chat was rowdy.
Soo-hyuk had shown them something incredible.
"For now, let's head deeper."
He couldn't stop—not for the stream's sake or the trial.
Soo-hyuk's goal was a skill-focused broadcast.
And for that, he had to push further in.
Viewers weren't idiots.
Those who'd watched from the first one-eyed bat kill were starting to expect more from Soo-hyuk.
And those expectations were being met.
The monsters in the Starting Dungeon boiled down to two types.
One-eyed bats and land eels.
Neither was particularly strong. Even with low stats, you could take them 1v1.
But that's why they were dangerous.
You never knew when or where they'd pop up.
Swish-.
Soo-hyuk halted mid-stride.
He spun, sword flashing. Two incoming one-eyed bats lost their heads, and he leaped upward.
Gruk-?
The land eel's face twisted grotesquely.
Then its view flipped upside down in an instant.
Splash-!
The land eel's severed neck soared skyward. Soo-hyuk's sword, fresh from slicing the bats, plunged toward the floor dweller.
Thud, roll roll-.
Land eel and bat heads tumbled across the ground.
Viewers couldn't process it.
Three monsters down in a blink—smooth as water.
"Came at me from above and below at the same time. Different types, but teamwork."
One-eyed bats and land eels striking together.
Even parties struggled with that pincer attack, but he handled it effortlessly. Incredible.
It had happened too many times to call coincidence. A viewer finally asked.
"Focus on the sounds. Where they're coming from. How many."
Not rocket science.
One-eyed bats ambushed from the dark.
Tracking by sound was basic theory.
"They move whisper-quiet like assassins. But right when they drop from the ceiling, there's one telltale sound. Catch the direction then."
Crack-.
Caw-!
Soo-hyuk snatched a one-eyed bat's neck mid-lunge.
"Vital spot's the eye. Stab it, instant death."
Poke-.
To demonstrate, he pinned it first, then jabbed the eye.
He dropped the limp corpse.
"Like this."
Soo-hyuk glanced at the flaming chat as he kept moving.
"Can't do it?"
"But... you can?"
‘Can't do it, huh?’
He didn't think it was anything special.
Not like slaying dozens of goblins in the tutorial or using their poison on an orc king.
Just a handful of bats and eels.
Yet the reaction...
‘Everyone can do this much.’
Soo-hyuk was always around top talent.
Blue Eyes guildmates—all elite players.
None of them couldn't pull this off.
"Weird..."
The chat exploded again at his mutter.
Lively chat. Soo-hyuk checked the viewer count.
Double digits now.
People entering, none leaving.
They were hooked.
Soo-hyuk eyed his points.
"10 points now..."
He wanted max points before exiting. The lull felt like a waste.
Yeah, calling it "already" made sense.
The goal here was survival.
Starting Dungeon was a basic skill check before the real trial.
But...
‘Gonna farm max points before I leave.’
Shift the goal from "survive" to "hunt," and it changes everything.
So Soo-hyuk didn't turn back.
He sought out more monsters.
Beep-.
Beep, beep-beep-.
Beep-beep-beep-.
The worries cut off as sounds echoed.
The cave passage had widened. Ceiling chirps mixed with a growing stench.
Zing-, jing-.
One-eyed bats hanging upside down from the ceiling opened their eyes. Red glows dotted the dark.
Dozens of one-eyed bats.
The dungeon core—the players' graveyard.
But...
‘A lot.’
Grin-.
Soo-hyuk smiled. He'd found the motherlode.
Scraping by on singles had left him thirsty.
These? A pile of points.
And then...
A mission already, from such a tiny stream.
Soo-hyuk's eyes lit up.
Not huge cash, but solid for a startup.
Of course, it was pure bait.
But Soo-hyuk had marched to the center for points anyway. Didn't matter.
"MySmallBroadcast."
Step-.
He strode to the bats' glowing center.
"Thanks for the 100 points."
"Uwaaa! You moron!"
Bang-.
Cheongryang slammed the table while staring at the player kit.
The usually cool-headed guy had a good reason to snap.
"Agh, guy's crushing up to floor 6, why flop right here? Huh?"
Players channel gambling on big streamer missions or rivalries.
All sorts of bet formats for the thrill.
Cheongryang was dead serious about it.
Even on the clock.
"Gambling on work hours again?"
Unhyang's jab made him flinch.
"Th-this counts as work."
"Just watching streams 'work'? It's the betting that's your job?"
Unhyang chasing Lee Soo-hyuk fan streams.
Cheongryang betting mid-shift.
Both headaches for management.
Though they each blamed the other.
"Cut it out. Blown this month's pay too?"
"Hold up. One bet left."
"Not just one?"
Unhyang eyed him pityingly.
Oblivious, Cheongryang glared at the kit.
"Sigh—team lead needs to know about this."
Unhyang muttered, eyes back on her screen.
They refocused on their streams.
Minutes later, Cheongryang bolted up.
"Yes! You're my savior!"
The unintended shout startled him. He snuck a peek at Unhyang.
Work hours. Freshly scolded, now celebrating points? Awkward.
Normally, a walnut would rocket his way.
But...
‘Not mad?’
Weirdly quiet.
"......?"
She hadn't even popped her walnut.
Something up?
He sidled over cautiously.
"You good? Issue?"
"He's insane..."
"Me?"
Harsh for some slacking.
Then he saw her gaze locked on the kit.
A fresh 2nd-floor streamer. Lee Soo-hyuk roleplay newbie.
‘Still on that stream...’
He glanced at her screen.
"What the actual f—."
Soo-hyuk blasting through the kill-zone core. Unhyang's reaction hit him too.
"How many's he solo'd?"