Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Midgard's Gates
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The recruitment department of the Mercenary Guild was in an uproar over a single broadcast.
The streamer's name was Lee Soo-hyuk.
He was a player just about to start the trial on the 6th floor.
"No budget left?"
The recruitment department head, Clamante, had veins bulging in his neck.
But no matter how much he raised his voice, points that didn't exist wouldn't magically appear.
"Even without approval, the most we can use right now is 10,000 points..."
"That's not even close! Can't you see? These guys are all asking for at least 10,000!"
10,000 points.
It wasn't a small amount by any means. In fact, for sponsorships on a mere streamer, it was quite generous.
But in this current bidding war, 10,000 points was barely the minimum.
"How about waiting just an hour? Then we could get approval for 100,000 points."
"By then, he'll be deep in the trial! Whether it's 10,000 or 100,000 in donations, if it gets buried, it's game over. You know that, right?"
One brave soul among the cowed staff spoke up in response to Clamante's nagging.
"How about we just give up?"
"What?"
"Let's face it, there's no need to go this hard. He's not even a ranker yet. For the same conditions, we could recruit someone even better, right?"
It wasn't wrong.
In fact, the recruitment offer the Mercenary Guild had extended to Lee Soo-hyuk was quite substantial.
With that kind of salary, they could snag several rankers.
Some team members even thought the budget allocated to pull him in was excessive.
But.
"You idiots."
Clamante looked at his team members sharing the same thought with utter disdain.
"Can't you see? This is when his market value is at its cheapest."
"What if it's just hype?"
"Hype?"
Clamante scoffed.
"To my eyes, he looks like pure gold."
"What's your basis?"
"That guy's already on the 6th floor."
Bam-.
He slammed his palm on the desk, emphasizing his point.
"It's a new record. A new record. For climbing the tower at this pace."
"Climbing fast isn't as important as climbing steadily. That's a real quote from Lee Soo-hyuk."
"Yeah, you're right. He did say that."
Clamante sighed.
Come to think of it, he had forgotten.
He was the only one here who had been paying attention to Lee Soo-hyuk from the very beginning.
"That's why I'm even more shocked."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind, no time to explain. If he doesn't pay off, I'll resign myself. Just bring him in."
There was no convincing Clamante otherwise.
But begging wouldn't change the fact that there was no way around it.
"Even if you say 'for now'..."
Even at best speed, it would take an hour for approval from above. And by then, as Clamante said, the trial would be underway, and donations would likely get buried.
The team members exchanged glances.
Seeing them, Clamante finally pulled out his last resort.
"Use my personal funds."
It was the worst company ever.
A concise and appropriate sponsorship message.
With Mercenary Guild's donation, Soo-hyuk wrapped up the sponsorships.
'That's it.'
The interval between incoming donations had definitely lengthened. This seemed to be the last one.
His once-empty pockets were now bulging in an instant.
Moreover, the viewer count had hit a new record even before the trial properly began.
A number approaching 40,000.
It paled in comparison to Pak Soo-hyuk's streams, but gathering this many was a first.
Viewers would likely climb even higher once the trial started.
'50,000 is definitely doable.'
Hitting 50,000 viewers would raise ad rates on videos. That's when you'd enter the ranks of the so-called 'big leagues.'
If 10,000 viewers was enough to survive as a streamer, 50,000 meant success.
"Thank you all for the generous sponsorships. I have no idea how to repay you all."
With Mercenary Guild as the finale, Soo-hyuk stepped toward the portal leading to the trial grounds.
"As repayment, I'll show you all something you've been curious about in this stream."
As Soo-hyuk walked on as if oblivious to the chat, one final sponsorship came in.
With the message, his vision flickered.
His body floated up, gravity and sound vanished. The sensation of everything breaking into tiny particles and reforming signaled the trial's start.
His flickered vision returned, and the surroundings blurred into view.
Sensation returned starting from his fingertips. As he realized wind was whipping his face, he saw the landscape rushing past.
"You're awake?"
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was the familiar golden-haired woman.
Viola's popularity hadn't waned a bit. She was the number one contributor to Soo-hyuk's stream success.
Looking around, clouds stretched below. Startled, Soo-hyuk widened his eyes, and Viola explained.
"We'll arrive soon."
He already knew the destination.
'Midgard'
"...To Asgard."
A sky-faring carriage.
And the winged horses pulling it.
Soo-hyuk was heading to Asgard with Viola and Vigo.
'The pacing is fast.'
He had chosen the path himself, so no complaints. If anything, skipping the boring parts was welcome.
After flying a bit longer.
"It's coming into view."
Neighhh-!
No sooner had Viola spoken than the heavenly horse whinnied.
A world above the clouds.
A land so vast and high above humanity's reach.
"Asgard."
Asgard's scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.
Surprisingly, this world above the clouds had its own drifting clouds. The grass brimmed with vibrancy, and the air was so pure it cleared the mind.
An ideal world.
Dazzlingly so.
"Different, right?"
Viola asked Soo-hyuk, who was lost in appreciation, as if she knew exactly how he felt.
"It's been 400 years since I returned here too."
"Same for me, Lady Viola."
Vigo chimed in, his face nearly in tears. Having blindly followed Viola for ages, his sentiments matched hers.
"Must be emotional for both of you."
"It is."
400 years.
A time too vast to fathom easily. Back in Asgard, she seemed deeply sentimental.
Just as Vigo's eyes welled up too, Viola snapped out of it and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"Let's hurry. He'll probably be busy."
Her grip tightened on the heavenly horse's reins. Beyond the beautiful vista loomed a towering, massive wall.
Like a boundary slicing across the world, stretching skyward.
As he admired it, Viola spoke.
"It's called Rasderihi."
"What's its purpose?"
"What purpose does a wall need? It just divides the worlds we live in."
The heavenly horse began descending gradually.
No matter how sky-capable, it seemed even it couldn't surmount that wall.
"Asgard is divided into four major realms: Midgard, Jotunheim, Alfheim, and Valhalla where I was."
Midgard.
The name of this trial.
"This is Midgard, ruled by Asgard's gods. A world where half-gods—neither full gods nor giants—live mingled together."
"Half-gods?"
"Warriors like me."
As Soo-hyuk looked puzzled, Vigo added.
"Not quite human, not quite divine. Warriors born somewhere in between."
Vigo gazed bitterly at his world, disparaging himself.
"That's me."
He then stared at Rasderihi.
"If my benefactor reaches Valhalla, I probably can't accompany you. I don't yet have the right to set foot there."
Vigo's address for Soo-hyuk had changed.
Benefactor.
To them, Soo-hyuk—who enabled them to complete centuries-long missions—was no less than a lifesaver.
It was their lifelong aspiration, more precious than life itself.
"Was our destination Valhalla?"
"Yes. You sent me down, and the one who gave me the item like yours is there."
He had seen the one who assigned Viola's mission in a cutscene.
A man half-obscured, wielding a hammer.
He was Asgard's young ruler.
'This soon?'
It felt off.
Too peaceful for a trial.
Plus, the trial was named 'Midgard,' not 'Asgard,' which nagged at him.
Soo-hyuk peered down at Midgard with suspicion.
No matter the grand terms like Asgard or demigods, to him, it just looked like an ordinary city.
No different from a human world. Utterly peaceful.
'This can't just be a flyby.'
As Soo-hyuk pondered the trial's direction.
"Valhalla is inside there."
Viola spoke up, as if correcting him.
She pointed to the wall called Rasderihi.
The boundary across the four realms.
The Asgard Soo-hyuk imagined was probably beyond it.
"Why? Not what you expected?"
"Yeah... kind of."
"That's Midgard for you. A world for those without true qualification."
Viola's expression and tone brimmed with pride as she spoke.
"Valhalla will be different."
"Looking forward to it."
"You cannot enter."
At the gate through Rasderihi.
Soo-hyuk and Viola, having parked the heavenly horse, were turned away.
The guarding soldier wore armor emblazoned with wing motifs and wielded a spear twice his height.
Soo-hyuk shrugged at the viewers' mockery and turned the mic.
"I figured it'd be like this."
He hadn't expected much to begin with.
Meeting Asgard's ruler right away? That was unrealistic even for the 8th floor, let alone 6th.
But Viola frowned, incredulous.
"Why?"
"Lady Viola has been away from Valhalla far too long."
"I was on a mission. From Thor."
"We have no record of that. All we know is that Lady Viola spent a long time mingling with humans."
"Is that a crime?"
"Your power must have weakened. Undergo purification in Midgard for at least ten years."
The soldier's gaze shifted to Soo-hyuk behind Viola.
"And of course, humans are forbidden from entering this land under any circumstances."