Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Lightning Trial
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His vision was spinning from the sheer number of choices floating before his eyes.
How many were there, exactly?
'One, two, three, four... thirteen. Thirteen of them?'
Word had it that the number of choices was proportional to a player's talent.
Usually, there were one or two.
Three if you were lucky.
Soo-hyuk had gotten seven.
But...
"This is way too many."
Dizzy for a moment from the dizzying array, but the one drawing his gaze was obvious.
The message even shimmered, as if urging him to pick it out of the countless options.
A chuckle escaped as he glanced at the chat. Most of these viewers were fans from his past life.
The viewers.
The system alerts.
And his own thoughts.
All pointed to the same answer.
And in that instant.
Whoosh-!
A cascade of pure white light enveloped Soo-hyuk's body.
He stepped into the trial bestowed by lightning.
Team Leader of Baehae Entertainment's management division.
Earth-born player John Tail let out a hollow laugh as he asked,
"So... how many viewers does that streamer have?"
"Um... around twenty."
Cheongryang answered, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
She'd been half-dragged here by Unhyang's persistence and was too busy gauging John Tail's mood.
But.
"Nah. It's over thirty now."
Unhyang chimed in from the side with that infuriating update.
"Ah... right..."
If this weren't the team leader's office, she might've snapped.
Twenty or thirty—it was all the same.
John Tail thought so too.
Creak-.
He leaned his chair back, signaling he was done listening.
Looking at Cheongryang with her hands politely clasped and Unhyang glued to the stream, he asked,
"You two messing with me right now?"
"Th-that's..."
"Cheongryang, you think I don't know you're gambling on company time? And for scouting talent, you bring me a guy with thirty viewers...?"
Cheongryang bowed her head deeply.
The nagging that followed went in one ear and out the other. Once John Tail started, he didn't stop easily.
"You, Unhyang. Same goes for you. Forget nurturing this guy—why not stream yourself? You've got the looks; it'd be way better."
"Team Leader."
"Yeah, what?"
"While you've been nagging for over thirty minutes, viewers hit fifty."
"Fifty?"
John Tail's eyebrow twitched.
Twenty more in that time. First stream today, yet viewers pouring in steeply.
No one leaving despite the influx.
"Soo-hyuk-ssi took down the Wolf Warrior."
Unhyang's honorific had upgraded to "-ssi."
But John Tail and Cheongryang barely registered it.
"...The Wolf Warrior?"
"For real? Solo?"
John Tail and Cheongryang blurted in shock.
John Tail even shot to his feet.
A boss never cleared before—solo, no less. His expression was priceless.
"No joke? You sure?"
"He's resting now. Viewers are posting about it on the community boards."
"Heh..."
The Wolf Warrior.
Its role was examiner, testing challengers' skills in the trial dungeon.
Given its power, no challenger could take it down.
"Definitely the real deal."
Not as a streamer, but pure player talent—he was a massive gem.
Just soloing the Wolf Warrior was shocking enough.
'Low viewer count makes sense. First stream today. Long-term, worth early investment...'
"Team Leader."
Unhyang interrupted his serious musing.
"Wanna bet?"
"Bet?"
"Yeah. Soo-hyuk-ssi just entered the Lightning Trial."
Lightning Trial.
John Tail's eyes gleamed.
Perfect route for a Lee Soo-hyuk concept streamer. Matched his skills—and his attribute.
"And?"
"If he gets Lightning, we contract. No debate."
John Tail chuckled dryly.
"Think he can?"
Lightning.
Top reward from the Lightning Trial.
Qualifying was tough; claiming it, impossible.
Guilds had poured support into qualified players—none succeeded.
"First run for him, right? Only the real Lee Soo-hyuk's ever gotten it."
"Yeah. But he will."
Because of the Wolf Warrior?
Unhyang's faith in Soo-hyuk was unshakable.
John Tail now seriously weighed signing this streamer.
'Unhyang as a player beats most rankers. Murim's rising star, rotting here after losing interest in climbing. Her skills are legit.'
That was his initial bet on her.
Spotting skilled streamers.
None had met her standards—until now.
'Let's trust her once.'
Click-.
John Tail lit the end of his cigar.
"Monitor it for now."
Unhyang nodded as if it were obvious.
But she wasn't done.
"And."
"And?"
"Assign him as my manager."
John Tail took a long drag, exhaled, and waved her off.
"Talk contracts first."
Dismissal gesture.
Unhyang nodded to leave.
But.
"W-wait a sec."
Cheongryang, watching Soo-hyuk's stream amid their talk, spoke up in panic.
"This trial... is this right?"
The white world regained its colors.
The floating sensation faded slowly. As he flexed his fingertips to regain feeling—
Someone shoved his back.
"Dodge-!"
Thud-.
Soo-hyuk stumbled back several steps.
Right after, a massive club hurtled toward where he'd stood.
Whoosh-.
Crack-!
The knight who'd shoved him raised his shield to block the club.
"Snap out of it, punk! Trying to die?!"
The silver-armored knight trembled as he held off the club.
He bellowed at Soo-hyuk.
For Soo-hyuk, fresh in the trial, it felt unfair.
But at least it kept him from instant death at the start.
'What the hell is this?'
Ignoring the knight, Soo-hyuk scanned his surroundings first.
Thud, thud-.
A single giant rampaged through the village center.
Four meters tall. Ragged clothes, wielding a boulder club—a giantkin.
Soo-hyuk let out a hollow laugh at the ‘Fragment of Giant Tribe’.
'Why's this thing out already?'
The first giantkin raid on the village. Repelling them was the trial's core.
Normally a late-game foe.
Yet here it was, right at the start.
Thud-.
"Everyone, dodge-! Hide anywhere till the soldiers return-!"
"Grab bows-! No one but knights get close!"
No proper knights in the village—nobody to fight the giantkin.
Per the lore, most soldiers were out at this point.
One giantkin could raze the place.
'Size just a bit bigger than the Wolf Warrior. Movements way slower, though.'
Fresh off soloing the dungeon boss Wolf Warrior, Soo-hyuk sized it up.
Fragment of Giant Tribe.
Big body, but lower level than the Wolf Warrior.
'Take it down.'
Soo-hyuk charged the giantkin that had swung at him.
Dash-.
"Hey, you! What the hell?!"
The knight who'd just saved him yelled in frustration as he ran back in.
But.
‘Nameless Demon Sword’ absorbs user's stamina.
All stats rise proportional to stamina consumed.
‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv2’ resists damage from ‘Nameless Demon Sword’.
Red impact signature of the demon sword—Soo-hyuk's body leaped upward. The club-swinging giantkin spotted him and swung again.
Whoosh-.
"Reckless idiot—"
The knight assumed he'd get smashed—then froze.
"Huh...?"
Soo-hyuk perched atop the giantkin's swinging arm. The knight's eyes went wide.
Ignoring him.
Stab-.
Swiftly mounted, Soo-hyuk plunged his sword into the nape.
'Swing that slow? No way it hits.'
Grrr-.
Sword in its nape, the giantkin let out a bestial roar.
It didn't drop instantly. Giantkin had tough vitality to match their size.
Of course.
Even so, it was as good as dead.
Slash-.
Soo-hyuk wrenched the sword and severed the neck with all his might.
Neck bone half-gone. No giantkin survived that.
The body tilted sideways.
Thud-.
Heavy crash as it fell. Soo-hyuk dismounted.
‘Fragment of Giant Tribe’ defeated.
+ Strength +2
+ Agility +1
+ Vitality +2
+ Mana +1
Checking rewards behind his mask, Soo-hyuk's lips curved upward.