Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Trial Victory
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The match results were in.
13 kills, 2 deaths, 8 assists.
It was an obvious victory. Riding the momentum from his early-game growth, Pak Soo-hyuk soared like he had sprouted wings.
The stream had explained it away as expected, but even Soo-hyuk was inwardly surprised by the outcome.
'He did better than I thought.'
He'd figured it might take a few more games. He'd been thinking they'd get results today if they were lucky, but to wrap it up after just the first match...
'His non-mechanical fundamentals aren't bad.'
Even if he didn't fully grasp the deeper intricacies of the trial, he'd executed the promised feedback perfectly.
Like, "Don't fight if you don't know where the enemy jungler is."
Or, "After shoving minions into the turret, look for the enemy jungler or rotate to help another lane."
"Prioritize farming over uncertain kills..."
Simple rules. But in the sections Pak Soo-hyuk played, most challengers ignored them entirely.
'He'll improve fast.'
Pak Soo-hyuk returned from the trial and charged straight at Soo-hyuk.
"I did it! I did it!"
His face was flushed with emotion.
He must have really hated getting demoted.
Delightful messages.
Pak Soo-hyuk grabbed Soo-hyuk's hand and danced around for a while before bowing.
"Vice Chairman, thank you so much for the 100,000 points! Bald Bro, Solar Regret, Bald Echo Park... You all thought I couldn't do it, huh?"
Pak Soo-hyuk puffed up with confidence.
Meanwhile, Soo-hyuk tallied up the points from this settlement.
'Already this much...'
This payout alone exceeded 250,000 points. Even split in half, that was over 120,000 for him.
Earned in just a few hours since the stream started.
And with ad revenue on top, his income would climb even higher.
Plus...
The stream wasn't over yet.
"Kill mission? How?"
Another mission.
Pak Soo-hyuk's eyes wavered.
"W-What if deaths outnumber kills?"
The penalty was no joke.
No ending the stream until kills surpassed deaths.
The hyenas pounced on the enticing offer.
Missions poured in one after another. This time, far more than before.
Dizzying numbers.
"Wha...? Huh?"
Pak Soo-hyuk, the one receiving them, was stunned by the escalating amounts.
Up to 1,000 points, down to 100. All added up, a single kill netted over 5,000 points.
"B-Bros... Thanks for the missions, but can we tweak the penalty-"
"Let's take them."
Soo-hyuk answered.
Stunned, Pak Soo-hyuk turned to him.
"For real?"
"Yeah. Or should we not?"
"Overdraft means no ending stream. Not just for me, for you too."
Soo-hyuk nodded.
"I know."
"You don't wanna go home?"
"Just get more kills. Play like before—how hard can it be?"
Soo-hyuk's eyes sparkled behind the mask.
Pak Soo-hyuk eyed Soo-hyuk, whose eyes were gleaming with greed.
This can't happen, his gaze pleaded.
Soo-hyuk shot back with his own look.
We're doing it, no question.
"If it doesn't work, I'll make it work."
No way he'd pass up this jackpot mission.
"Trust your master just this once."
With points in his sights, Soo-hyuk saw nothing else.
"Let's squeeze out every drop."
Pak Soo-hyuk performed better than expected.
Proving the first game wasn't luck, he notched 9 kills and 3 deaths in the next trial.
But.
"Good job. But mid-game, you neglected farming too much. Greed for kills cost you actual ones."
"When the enemy jungler ganks, run toward your own jungler. Remembering that alone prevents those three deaths."
"Even late game, always shove minions first. It lets you spot the enemy mid and jungler."
Feedback came after each game.
And with it, Pak Soo-hyuk's kills ticked up bit by bit.
Master-disciple content had morphed into Lee Soo-hyuk's coaching stream.
Meanwhile, mission payouts snowballed.
As kills rose, so did mission rewards. Viewers who'd bet on first-game luck started screaming.
Eventually, even desperate pleas mixed in with donations.
The stream ran all day.
Pak Soo-hyuk was dying, but Soo-hyuk was dancing.
'How much is this all...'
The games were eye-searing, but each trial was a pile of points.
Final rank achieved: Bronze 1.
Three whole tiers up.
The collab's grand achievement.
"That's it for today's stream, bros."
As hollow-eyed Pak Soo-hyuk wrapped up, cheers erupted in donations.
This mission had been overly ambitious. Meant to force an early end via overdraft deaths, it instead emptied viewers' wallets.
Of course, no matter how good the results, they couldn't run missions forever.
Focus waned with each trial, fatigue piled up.
"See ya, everyone~ Tough day, bros."
King-level marathon stream.
The long broadcast finally ended. Mentally drained, Pak Soo-hyuk collapsed at an empty table in the afterparty tavern.
"Ughhh-."
A groan laced with a sigh.
Soo-hyuk brought him a beer.
"Good work."
"Oh, beer!"
Pak Soo-hyuk chugged it like life's elixir. He drained the overflowing pint in one go and actually perked up a bit.
"Ahh, feeling alive."
"Must've been rough."
"Yeah. First time really thinking through everything like that."
Tap, tap.
Pak Soo-hyuk prodded his own head.
"Body's fine, but up here's exhausted."
"Still, you did great. Learned a ton in one day."
"Honestly, yeah."
Pak Soo-hyuk puffed his chest at the praise, nodding proudly. He was satisfied with today's gains.
"Didn't expect this. Figured I'd fail again."
"Unlike floors 2 or 3, floor 4 has tons of exploitable patterns beyond raw mechanics."
No matter how desperate for points, he wouldn't take a doomed mission. Soo-hyuk had no interest in penalties without payout.
But this trial? Real potential.
Lots of it.
"You're on floor 6 now, right?"
"Yeah. Recently."
"Cleared 4 not long ago too."
Pak Soo-hyuk lifted his fresh beer and continued.
"When did you analyze all this?"
"Every tower trial has a core goal. Figure that out, and you find everything."
"Felt it watching your streams, but..."
Gulp.
Pak Soo-hyuk took another swig and eyed Soo-hyuk in wonder.
"You really seem like Lee Soo-hyuk."
Like Lee Soo-hyuk.
Soo-hyuk stifled a bursting laugh.
So obvious. And thus, utterly absurd.
Maybe he was fooling everyone, raking in points via streams.
Because I am him.
"I'll take it as a compliment."
"It is!"
Unhyang chimed in abruptly.
She'd been pregaming with the editor and Cheongryang, her cheeks flushed.
"It's Lee Soo-hyuk, right? He was the best! Being compared to him is the ultimate praise!"
Grinning wide, Unhyang stared into Soo-hyuk's eyes.
"And I agree with Pak Soo-hyuk. You really do look like him."
"Manager's a Lee Soo-hyuk fan too?"
"Huh? You too?"
"Every masked nutjob like me is. Cheers to that~"
"Cheers!"
Clink.
Glasses met. The two bonded instantly over Lee Soo-hyuk.
The party was heating up when...
"Live stream's one thing, but video reactions are insane."
"Videos?"
Pak Soo-hyuk's editor, Ameri, turned her Kit screen around.
A short 5-minute clip was up.
Uploaded just 30 minutes ago.
Edited in a flash.
"When'd you edit this?"
"Just cuts and subtitles, no effects. Quick work."
She was a pro editor for sure.
Even simple, turning it around that fast wasn't easy.
"Check the views."
"Views...?"
Only then did Soo-hyuk notice the number under the title.
1, 10, 100, 1K, 10K...
"Whoa...?"
Over 500K and climbing steeply.
"This is nuts..."
Even stream noob Soo-hyuk knew this was wild.
Unhyang had told him how rare 1M+ views were, and how pricey the ads were.
To his wide-eyed shock, she drove it home.
"This video's #1 in real-time right now."