Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: The Start of a New Legend
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The day of the opposition match preliminaries.
An incident erupted that threw the tower into an uproar.
Countless articles flooded in.
Most of them were pieces digging into the secrets from the Hydra raid that day.
There had long been rumors of a betrayer present at that place. It wasn't news that had circulated for just a day or two.
Some unnamed sources claimed it was Kim Il-su. But no evidence emerged, and Kim Il-su offered no excuses or explanations.
Because of that, some corners speculated that Kim Il-su had betrayed his old comrades to claim the position for himself.
But.
Kim Il-su's silence, maintained over the passing years, was now being repackaged as a form of loyalty.
Thanks to this, Kim Il-su's recognition skyrocketed vertically.
Of course.
Not every article was about Kim Il-su and Hwang Gyu-seong.
A single article with a title so provocative it bordered on sensational. And the author was none other than Big Mouth.
No matter how much attention was fixed on Hwang Gyu-seong, this piece was impossible to ignore.
[Article: Amid the chaos, streamer Lee Soo-hyuk delivered stellar results in the opposition match. Though it was just the preliminaries, Lee Soo-hyuk...]
Big Mouth's article focused squarely on Lee Soo-hyuk's exploits.
Indeed, had Hwang Gyu-seong not appeared, the spotlight that day would undoubtedly have belonged to Lee Soo-hyuk alone.
Big Mouth's goal through the article was singular.
Returning this spotlight to its rightful place.
And that role had always belonged to one streamer.
"Maeha! Bros, long time no see?"
Hawk's Eye started his broadcast.
Lee Soo-hyuk specialist reviewer.
That was Hawk's Eye's main content these days.
"Mae-nun-ekka-chung… Why's that nick like that. Anyway, super chat to that bro. Yeah, this incident was a bit disappointing. The prelims got totally buried because of it."
The opposition match was normally the content that drew the most attention from players. Even with the special nature of the prelims, interest was never low.
"That's why the original here has prepared something extra delicious."
Hawk's Eye deliberately kicked off the broadcast in a cheerful mood. He needed time for enough viewers to gather.
He killed time with idle chit-chat. Some viewers urged the review, but Hawk's Eye deftly quelled their impatience.
A bit more time passed, and viewers piled in.
40,000 viewers.
Hawk's Eye, who had waited exactly for that number, dove into the review proper.
"Well, as the title says, today's broadcast is another Lee Soo-hyuk review. But today, we're looking from a different angle than usual."
He suppressed his surging excitement. No one anticipated this review more than Hawk's Eye himself.
"Up until now, we've reviewed promising rookies with great control... Today, it's introducing a great ranker."
With those words, the review began.
*Ting*-.
The broadcast screen showed Lee Soo-hyuk facing off against Cha Min-woo.
Before the incident occurred.
It was a matchup between Cha Min-woo, long called the next-gen Lee Soo-hyuk, and the streamer named Lee Soo-hyuk.
This was before Hwang Gyu-seong showed up at the arena, so plenty of viewers had seen the broadcast up to this point.
"For some reason, the two made a promise before the match started. Don't know why, but it's good for us. We get to see matchups like this."
The video played. The pre-edited footage skipped quickly to the key moments.
*Pa-pat*-.
Lee Soo-hyuk scaling the spire's walls.
And Cha Min-woo chasing right behind.
"The core of this fight is this. Flat ground fights are boring, right? Let's crank up the difficulty a notch!"
Even without using Lightning, Lee Soo-hyuk's skill overwhelmed Cha Min-woo.
"Now, let's rotate the footage so it looks like flat ground to our eyes. Doesn't Cha Min-woo look like an idiot? Can't even find where Lee Soo-hyuk is, just flailing around. And he's not even that fast."
Viewing the fight sideways made it look even stranger.
Rather than Lee Soo-hyuk seeming amazing, it looked like Cha Min-woo was just floundering alone.
"The key is the feet."
Hawk's Eye paused the video for a proper analysis.
"Look closely here—Lee Soo-hyuk's toe is turning to Cha Min-woo's right. But."
*Ting*-.
In the resumed footage, Soo-hyuk moved to the opposite side.
"See? Opposite, right?"
Hawk's Eye continued his explanation to the baffled viewers.
"Of course it would be. We forced the rotation, but in reality, these two are fighting stuck to the wall. That introduces gravity as a variable we never consider, amplified hundreds of times."
Hawk's Eye's speech quickened—a telltale sign of his excitement.
"Lee Soo-hyuk wielded speed and direction freely. We watch it conveniently rotated, but Cha Min-woo's senses must've been a mess. The fast opponent suddenly slows, the slow one speeds up, the one moving sideways appears from the opposite direction!"
His words came faster and more abundant than usual. Hawk's Eye was a Lee Soo-hyuk stan, but every review was unflinchingly honest, without fabrication.
"This is control taken to the extreme. Not just wielding weapons or mana well... His sense is just insane."
Despite the viewers' pleas, Hawk's Eye showed no signs of calming.
"Truth is, when I saw up to here, I was convinced. This part would be the highlight of the broadcast."
The review wasn't over yet, so naturally.
"But no. This fight I thought was the highlight looks downright shabby now."
A long, drawn-out preamble.
And it was around then that Hwang Gyu-seong swept through the arena, turning the prelims into a mess.
As a result, Lee Soo-hyuk's stream and the prelims' spotlight lost their shine.
Hawk's Eye knew the best way to reignite that light.
"Let's just watch the rest together."
Simple.
Just watch it as one.
This phenomenal, fantastical match.
The match was one-sided.
Atop the spire, Lee Soo-hyuk rained down Lightning.
He dominated the skies like Zeus, the great god of heaven from myth, overwhelming everything on the ground.
Everything was awe-inspiring.
Continuously producing Lightning of such power. Pinpointing participants who looked like ants from the lofty spire height. The precision to land every hit—it was all utterly mystical.
Kills surpassed 500 in the blink of an eye. Astonishing as that was, Lee Soo-hyuk didn't stop.
Viewers who missed the stream due to the incident now took interest late. The fight with Cha Min-woo was forgotten.
As the video neared its latter half.
*Ting*-.
As always, Hawk's Eye paused midway.
"I'd love to watch to the end again myself, but as you know, this isn't my footage."
The primary goal of these review streams was always to promote Lee Soo-hyuk's broadcasts.
"You all know by now, right? For the full version, it'll be up by now—go watch it there."
Viewership plummeted rapidly. From over 50,000, it dropped by 10,000 in an instant.
Many viewers left, but plenty remained. They preferred Hawk's Eye's review to the raw footage.
Hawk's Eye's final verdicts were famous even under the nickname 'Mae-chori.' Some viewers came specifically for them.
There were even compilation videos titled 'Hawk's Eye Mae-chori Collection.'
"Final verdict? Let me see, final verdict..."
Hawk's Eye pondered.
He never prepared verdicts separately.
They emerged naturally from his organic reviews within broad strokes.
But this time was different.
What verdict could possibly suit this insane match?
"Today's verdict is..."
After no short deliberation.
He voiced a sentiment unlike his usual ones.
"The arena was noisy yesterday because of what happened. I saw the articles too. Blue Eyes' downfall, the curtain on a legend..."
He had deliberately avoided mentioning it until now. Hawk's Eye believed Lee Soo-hyuk, who deserved the spotlight, had been overshadowed by that event.
But pondering how to wrap the broadcast, he realized he couldn't ignore it.
No.
"I think differently. It hasn't ended yet."
Not just Hwang Gyu-seong, but all the legends of Blue Eyes that Lee Soo-hyuk had led.
"I'll say it boldly."
He uttered words he had vaguely thought for ages but never dared voice.
"This is the start of a new legend."
People called yesterday the end of a legend.
The remaining Blue-Eyed legends met their death, branded with betrayal, tainting their sanctity.
But someone viewed that day through a different lens.
It was the day one legend fell—but also the day a new one was born.