Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Cha Min-woo's Spotlight
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Cha Min-woo had drawn attention because of something that happened during his solo stream.
At the time, he had teamed up with several other Players on the 5th floor to tackle the trial.
It was only natural that the trial's difficulty would scale up with more people.
But instead of providing the support expected from the increased difficulty, his teammates had grown greedy for rewards and done something they absolutely shouldn't have.
His teammates had touched the seal stone that was absolutely off-limits.
Because of them, the number of monsters assaulting the village multiplied several times over. Cha Min-woo, tasked with defending the village, found himself in a dire situation.
To make matters worse, the demon sealed in the stone had broken free, wiping out the entire team.
Everyone assumed it was a failure...
"The one who said they'd donate 10k points earlier?"
Cha Min-woo grabbed them by the collar and cleared the trial anyway.
A one-man show.
In the end, he was the only survivor.
"He's got skills, as expected."
While following Lee Won-jae, Hwang Gyu-seong muttered to himself.
On the way to Kim Il-su. Far off, a massive screen displayed Cha Min-woo's figure.
He was a fresh ranker, yet his skills far surpassed most veterans.
All three opponents were rankers themselves, and he'd taken them down in one hit each.
The difference in caliber. The difference in their climbs up the tower.
"He's the future of our guild."
"Give him ten years and hand him a decent lightning bolt, and he'll be a decent knockoff at least."
It sounded like mockery, but to Hwang Gyu-seong, this was high praise.
Considering the conditions, the time investment, and the fact that even a "knockoff" was being compared to Lee Soo-hyuk.
A few minutes had passed since the match began.
In that time, Hwang Gyu-seong arrived at a door following Lee Won-jae.
"This the place?"
"Yes."
Kim Il-su was beyond this door.
The moment he'd waited twenty years for was right in front of him.
"Five minutes. Remember?"
"Yeah. Got it."
The door to a room housing someone important was made of premium solid wood with a sleek finish.
Hwang Gyu-seong reached for the door, his teeth gleaming white in a grin.
Could there be any greater joy than this? Even knowing death might await, he couldn't hold back his smile.
And then.
Screeech—.
The door opened, revealing Kim Il-su's face through the gap.
Fzzzt—.
Something flashed in the distance.
A few Players stationed on the building's rooftop rubbed their eyes.
"Was that something over there?"
"What? Nothing there."
"Did I see wrong...?"
"Didn't it just flash?"
Chit—.
In that brief moment, the flash had traveled far away.
Soo-hyuk stepped on lightning and gazed up at the towering spire piercing the sky. The moment the trial began, he had dashed toward the center as promised.
An urban field.
The biggest threat here was snipers from long range.
'A few have already taken positions.'
Participants capable of ranged attacks had secured their spots.
The early fights would likely be a scramble for prime positions.
Normally, Soo-hyuk would have joined that fray. Spear handling made sniping his strongest suit, and he'd never lost an early position battle.
The sponsorship pulled his attention to the broadcast overlay.
Since meeting Cha Min-woo, viewers had been watching with audio muted.
It could have been a streaming mishap, but it only fueled their curiosity.
His opponent was Cha Min-woo—a famous streamer who was now Blue Eyes' rising star.
It was natural for viewers to wonder what the streamer Lee Soo-hyuk and he had discussed.
Thud—.
Soo-hyuk arrived at the rendezvous first.
He'd pushed his speed to avoid interruptions, so it was expected.
"Curious, huh?"
A brief lull gave him a moment.
He wanted to settle the bet with Cha Min-woo ASAP, but he had to wait.
Their curiosity sparked even more sponsorships.
He couldn't reveal everything, but fortunately, he could share what they wanted most.
"I made a bet here with Cha Min-woo."
"Sorry about the mute. I figured announcing it on stream beforehand might draw sniper fire."
A clever mix of truth and lie. The bet was real, but the mute had another reason.
Of course, Soo-hyuk's excuse sounded plausible.
Revealing the spot pre-trial in this map layout could invite targeted snipers.
Fortunately, the reaction was positive. The Cha Min-woo showdown was something viewers had been hyped for.
'Viewership spiked.'
Only now did he notice, distracted by Kim Il-su earlier. The viewer count was staggering.
Ninety thousand.
Incredible, even with the event boost. And it was still climbing—possibly hitting 100k.
Most were probably here to see him fail, of course.
A viewer noticed his new gear. That's when Soo-hyuk remembered the ad.
"Oh, right. Gotta do the sponsor spot."
Soo-hyuk showed the logo on his sword at the waist and the thin white armor up top.
"Sponsored by Saint Lorec. Quality stuff. I like it."
For a second, Soo-hyuk wondered if this was okay. He'd just casually mentioned it without knowing ad etiquette, but this was a 600k-point deal.
'They'll handle it.'
Any complaints would fall to Unhyang or John Tail.
The usual MissionVillain with missions. But with higher viewership, new names mixed in.
Missions poured in one after another. Event content like this always drew missions, and it was living up to the hype.
Too many to read individually.
The "no death" conditions from some meant advancing to the top 100 finals.
And the final one.
The viewer who always spiced up his streams: win rate zero percent.
SafeAsset.
As if waiting, he dropped another absurd mission.
Unlike his name, SafeAsset's win rate was zero percent—making him the most infamous named viewer on Soo-hyuk's channel.
Safety upon safety in his mission.
Past him might've bet on finals, but this was even safer.
"1000 kills..."
Soo-hyuk looked troubled at SafeAsset's mission.
In deathmatches like this, 100 kills was already legendary. Finding foes in a vast field was tough, plus constant stamina drain in fights.
Moreover, every participant here was ranker-level.
Racking up that score against them was impossible for even top high-rankers.
"No failure penalty, right?"
Soo-hyuk asked after a pause.
Soo-hyuk nodded.
"I'll take it for now."
Accepting was a gamble for Soo-hyuk.
SafeAsset claimed no penalty, but invisible ones loomed—massive ones.
"If a mission feels truly impossible to you, draw the line. Like winning the entire event."
Unhyang had worried he'd take reckless missions this stream, thanks to SafeAsset's habits.
"Your win rate is your stream's identity. Viewers wonder when it'll break."
Soo-hyuk had maintained 100% mission success.
At some point, viewers—especially SafeAsset—treated missions as bets, piling on impossible ones.
100% win rate.
The longer the streak, the more legendary it became, turning his stream into must-watch entertainment.
"The longer it holds, the more viewers flock, and more missions come. But..."
"One loss kills the hype and the missions."
"Yes. You're walking a golden tightrope right now."
A single failure would be fatal. He knew that.
Yet he accepted anyway.
'No easy way off the tightrope.'
Exactly. He was on a golden tightrope.
One slip could slice him, but success meant a golden path.
Rejecting even "impossible" missions hurt.
But nailing one? Rewards multiplied.
Above all.
'It's gotta happen anyway.'
From the moment he entered the field, Soo-hyuk had a plan.
And SafeAsset's mission changed nothing.
Anyway.
"Perfect timing."
Soo-hyuk needed to end this trial fast.
"1 kill."