Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Valhalla's Threshold
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After the collab with Hawk's Eye and Big Mouth, the articles came pouring in right away.
Three articles dropped one after another.
They packed enough firepower to char a topic that was already red-hot.
Big Mouth's articles were always popular. He was a streamer who delivered the issues, but at the same time, one who created them.
And now those two had merged into one.
"...The settlement hit."
Early in the morning.
Before heading to the trial, Unhyang spoke up during breakfast together, her voice trembling slightly.
Unable to hide her joy, her mouth was grinning widely.
"670,000 points. That's this settlement."
"670,000?"
Startled, Soo-hyuk nearly dropped the fork in his hand.
The sausage he'd been bringing to his mouth plopped down. Seeing Soo-hyuk freeze in shock, Unhyang explained.
"Half of the ad fee from the deal we accepted last time came in advance. The rest is from video views."
"Did the videos sell that well?"
"We edited and uploaded everything up to the latest stream. Then Big Mouth's promo poured fuel on the fire."
"Big Mouth?"
A question mark hung at the end of Soo-hyuk's words, prompting Cheongryang beside him to ask.
"You don't know Big Mouth?"
"No. First time hearing it."
"How does a streamer not know Big—"
Thwack—!
A dull thud came from under the table. Cheongryang's waist bent sideways, cutting her words short.
It was obviously Unhyang's doing, but she played innocent.
"He's the unrivaled pro among issue-focused streamers. Does streaming and writes articles on the side."
"Must be quite the guy."
"Remember Pak Soo-hyuk's jinx? Big Mouth is double that. Good or bad."
"What do you mean?"
Soo-hyuk knew about Pak Soo-hyuk's jinx. The infamous tale among streamers that collabing with him meant certain doom.
Apparently, Big Mouth had a similar jinx. But unlike Pak Soo-hyuk's, it cut both ways.
"He's a streamer who makes issues. Meaning he can boost someone or bury them, depending on the issue."
"A double-edged sword, huh."
"Exactly. And a very sharp one."
Saying that, Unhyang settled the points to Soo-hyuk.
670,000 points.
With that massive settlement, Soo-hyuk realized just how this situation was playing out for him.
"Luckily, it's the good direction."
"The content's all praise. Ugh..."
Cheongryang clutched her side with one hand and showed the prepared data.
"From the first video to the latest, views doubled at least. The most recent one's hit peak views."
The cumulative views shot up almost vertically.
The collab with Pak Soo-hyuk, the intriguing backdrop of Asgard, plus the new buzz from Big Mouth.
The straight-up graph was the result of it all combined.
"Views are still climbing now. At this rate, you can look forward to settlements for a while."
"...Nice. Very nice."
Thanks to this settlement, he could bump Selfish Sacrifice up another level before the next trial.
Levels and stats were more urgent right now, but raising a skill was always welcome.
"Streaming today too?"
Soo-hyuk nodded at Unhyang's question and finished eating.
"Yeah. Have to."
"Next floor again? Or..."
Unhyang glanced at Cheongryang as she spoke.
Unlike her, Cheongryang was a player stuck at the ranker threshold on the 7th floor. If Soo-hyuk went to the 8th, their companionship ended here.
"Hold off on that for now."
But fortunately, Soo-hyuk had no plans to head to the 8th right away.
No.
To be precise, he didn't think it was possible.
"Can't take it easy anymore."
Players who entered the 8th weren't called rankers for nothing.
There was a reason countless talented players failed to pass that one floor and gave up on ranker dreams.
Even Cheongryang right in front of him was proof.
She'd trained alongside Unhyang at the Divine Lotus Castle, but ultimately couldn't cross the 8th floor threshold.
And moreover.
'This is where real Asgard begins.'
The trial was starting to feel different from the others.
For one, the difficulty was absurd. No way that last trial belonged on the 6th floor.
The giant with power to change seasons, Bergelmir. And the god who severed his right hand in one stroke, Tyr.
Monsters straight out of myths.
'And...'
Valhalla would be crawling with gods like that.
After leveling up Selfish Sacrifice, Soo-hyuk started the stream right away.
Viewers climbing fast was no longer surprising. Alarms must've gone out—within minutes, they broke ten thousand.
Passing through the city to the massive portal at the world's center. Standing before the door to the next floor, Soo-hyuk greeted the influx of viewers.
"Subs. Come on in, everyone."
-Suhyuk
-Subs!
-Start the stream already!
-Whoa, thought you'd rest till the showdown
The showdown was still about ten days out. Having declared his content as the showdown, viewers expected the next stream to be way later.
But shattering those expectations, Soo-hyuk returned after just two days.
-When's this guy leveling up?
-Sleeps and levels lol
-Hawk's Eye roasted him too
-Roasted is overkill
Most players took time to regroup after each floor.
It was natural. Difficulty spiked per floor—challenging without prep just wasted time and points.
Hunt to level up, secure more stats, then challenge. Standard order.
-You see Hawk's Eye's stream?
"Yeah. Caught it on the way."
Standing a step from the portal, Soo-hyuk shared his thoughts on the stream.
"He nailed it."
This incident let Soo-hyuk see just how sharp Hawk's Eye's insight was.
'Hard to distinguish.'
Separating skills from stats was no easy feat. Figuring where skills boosted and where raw stats came into play required deep analysis and understanding of the player.
Hawk's Eye must've dissected him thoroughly.
That was his job as a review streamer.
Even so, it deserved applause.
"If I fail this time, I'll switch content too. To hunting."
Slow, but no other choice. Failing this trial meant focusing on hunts for a while.
And that wasn't ideal for Soo-hyuk.
'For now, till the showdown, just max out specs.'
Step.
Soo-hyuk took one step forward.
A hefty sum for the trial fee.
It stung. But luckily, after leveling Selfish Sacrifice, he still had over 100,000 points left.
The familiar teleportation haze.
Stepping into the portal, Soo-hyuk's body soon arrived in another world.
Shooo—.
The whitened landscape gradually revealed itself.
First thing he saw: the slightly hunched back of an old man.
Recognizable from the rear alone.
"What're you doing? Not following?"
Tyr.
At the grumpy god's urging, Soo-hyuk started moving his halted feet.
"Coming, sir."
Soo-hyuk looked up beyond Tyr's back.
Didn't even need to try—it was visible.
A colossal golden wall reaching the heavens.
Rasderih.
-Whoa it's huge
-How tf do you break this lol
-Balder, he's a walking moral book...
Still unbelievable on second sight.
How the hell did anyone break a wall this massive?
'Could Bergelmir have?'
He imagined it.
The giant hand that blanketed the sky. The full body unleashed, smashing the wall.
But imagination yielded nothing.
Balder's plan failed, and Bergelmir probably wouldn't break free anytime soon.
Thus, they headed toward Rasderih's entrance.
"Halt. State your identity and—"
The Valhalla entrance.
The soldier who'd once blocked Soo-hyuk and Viola snapped to attention with wide eyes.
"Lord Tyr! Open the gate now!"
Tyr, acting ruler of Midgard, was one of the gods who frequented Valhalla's gates. Naturally, no soldier didn't know his face.
Just like that, Soo-hyuk passed inspection without hassle, following Tyr.
"Then why give me the pass if we're skipping procedure?"
Soo-hyuk shook the feather he'd held for inspection.
A stiff, gleaming golden feather. The item Tyr had called a Valhalla pass.
"You think that pass is for crossing gates?"
"Then what is it?"
"Spoiling it early kills the fun. You'll know when the time comes to use it."
So many secrets.
Creeeeak—.
With a heavy groan, Rasderih's gates began to slowly open.
From within the sluggishly parting doors spilled a beautiful light blending every color of the rainbow.
"You were curious, right?"
Waiting for the gates, Soo-hyuk recalled Tyr's words at the last trial's end.
"Whether gods with wounds like yours would acknowledge me."
"That's right."
"What are those wounds? Not all gods inside are one-armed like you."
Tyr's response to Soo-hyuk's question was surprisingly nonchalant.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Step.
Once more, no clear answer.
He stepped into Rasderih's gates, where radiant light poured out.
"That useless sword shard? Gave it so you could do just that."
'Sword shard?'
Come to think of it, there was one more.
Two rewards from clearing that brutal trial: the Valhalla pass and an unnamed sword shard.
To ask about the shard's use, Soo-hyuk followed Tyr. The moment he entered the light from Rasderih's massive gates, Soo-hyuk was caught in a familiar sensation.
Like the world around him shifting with each floor transition.
The air and temperature on his skin changed in an instant.
"...?"
Soo-hyuk's eyes wavered at the unexpected message.
Entry on hold?
This wasn't planned.
And on top of that.
Something that had never happened before unfolded.