Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Lightning
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Lightning.
It was one of the two cheat keys in the Players community.
The other one was, of course, Lee Soo-hyuk.
And this post contained both cheat keys.
This post, packed with both the cheat keys 'Lightning' and 'Lee Soo-hyuk', shot straight to the top of the Players community hot posts.
At first, most people were skeptical.
But it wasn't hard to verify, and viewers on the stream had already surpassed 500.
First stream.
Name: Lee Soo-hyuk.
Acquired Lightning.
A short description, but incredibly provocative.
Even as a late-rising hot post, a hot post was still a hot post.
Moreover, there were plenty of existing players and streamers who were fans of Lee Soo-hyuk.
And so.
Hawk's Eye, a streamer with around 8,000 viewers who mainly did spectator content, tuned into Soo-hyuk's stream.
"Hello, bros! Today, we're gonna dissect and analyze the hot topic Lee Soo-hyuk!"
Hawk's Eye kicked off his stream smoothly.
On the screen beside him was Soo-hyuk's feed, surrounded by giants.
"Why 'hot topic'? Don't whine, you'll see soon... Oh, no one asked? What can I do?"
"Alright, everyone focus. This is a Lee Soo-hyuk mad movie sent by one of our viewers. They recorded it themselves."
And so, Hawk's Eye played a short few-minute video.
From the moment he took down the giant tribe leader, to acquiring Lightning and escaping the horde.
For a genuine reaction, Hawk's Eye watched it for the first time with his audience, his eyes and mouth growing wider by the second.
"Whoa......"
His reaction was nothing but awe. Forgetting he was live, he watched the video in silence without a word.
Hawk's Eye.
Short for 'Hawk's Eye', the streamer nickname.
He made his name analyzing player combats as spectator content and succeeded as a player-turned-streamer thanks to his recognized analytical skills.
Hawk's Eye had watched and analyzed footage from countless players.
Among them were Cha Min-woo, who recently joined Blue Zone, and Kim Il-su, a member of the original Blue Eyes.
Of course.
The all-time legend among players.
Lee Soo-hyuk was no exception.
Snapped back by a viewer's backseat comment, he pulled himself together.
This wasn't something to evaluate that way.
"First off, bros, hold off on the hate. Wow, insane. How does this even happen?"
An involuntary gasp escaped, and Hawk's Eye shook his head.
He couldn't just keep gasping; he had to keep the stream going.
"See that weapon he's using? That subtle red effect. That's a demon sword."
Demon sword items were infamous. Demon swords usually required a ton of stamina and were typically used from floor 3 onward.
"Yeah, exactly. Stamina. That's the key. And in this combat situation, with visible effects, it's at least Rare grade or higher."
Chat scrolled rapidly. Nothing was more fun in streams than backseat debates—good call using a demon sword or not?
He was used to the chaos. Hawk's Eye continued his explanation.
"But you guys know Lightning's downside, right?"
"Exactly. Lightning's just like the demon sword. Insane stamina drain. But this guy swung the demon sword non-stop and even beheaded the giant tribe leader."
Lightning
Reward drop
Replaying the video once more, Hawk's Eye paused right where Lightning dropped as a reward.
"And in that state, he gets Lightning? Honestly, worst case scenario."
Stamina depleted.
On top of that, a stamina-heavy skill as reward.
Just looking at the situation, it couldn't be worse.
"But here's what Newbie-hyuk did!"
The video resumed.
Right after acquiring Lightning, Soo-hyuk broke through the giants' encirclement again.
The sword's power enhanced by Lightning. At the same time, Soo-hyuk's movements became faster and lighter.
Once in a while, midway through.
Zooming in on the video, Hawk's Eye continued.
"He controlled the Lightning. Boosted sword speed on the arm, power on the blade when needed, legs for quick moves."
Faintly, intermittently, electric effects flowed over hands, sword, and legs.
Chaotic combat. Effects so subtle, but his eyes were sharper than anyone's.
"He knew his limits and used the skill precisely where needed. Not a single waste of power!"
-Bang-.
BAM—he slammed his desk and shot up from his chair.
"That focus f***! No way, how? First time with the skill and he does this? Is he even human?"
Finishing his explanation, Hawk's Eye replayed the video, entranced once more.
Looking at chat, viewers were busy nicknaming the new Lee Soo-hyuk playfully.
Newbie-hyuk, Second Soo-hyuk, 2Soo-hyuk, Fake Soo-hyuk......
Seeing the reactions, Hawk's Eye sighed and shook his head.
'Not even half get it.'
Partial skill control required extreme focus and technique.
Especially for high-rank skills like Lightning, the difficulty skyrocketed exponentially.
Yet streamer Lee Soo-hyuk used it from the start.
And that too, in combat, precisely where needed, moment by moment.
'Split-second judgment. Focus and technique for micro-control. Without a single mistake.'
He nailed it all the instant he got the skill.
"Godlike......"
Dazzling play, unseen since the original Lee Soo-hyuk.
He'd started it as simple content, but now his mind had changed.
He was about to become a real fan.
"Oh, right."
Forgetting the stream for a moment, Hawk's Eye hurried to compose himself.
Final verdict.
The stream's wrap-up: summarizing the spectated play in one line.
This could only be the highest praise.
"Pure control-wise? Better than prime Lee Soo-hyuk."
Pelius was an outstanding knight.
Even against large giants, he could handle 2-3 alone.
He hadn't stepped up to take the giant leader for nothing.
Confirming Pelius shaking him off his back and ditching the pursuing giants, Soo-hyuk lost consciousness.
The conditions to pause the trial midway and return were two-fold.
After clearing a stage, before the next begins.
And current fatigue at 0, perfect condition.
Even pausing midway shouldn't affect the next trial. Looked like his fatigue recovered to 0 during the break.
But caution was needed.
'Physical fatigue recovered, but mental fatigue lingers.'
Don't be fooled by the numerical fatigue.
Proper rest was essential for peak focus. Tougher trials often hinged on condition alone.
Moreover.
'Lightning too... needs time to combo with Selfish Sacrifice.'
At full stamina, how much combat power could Selfish Sacrifice yield?
To test that, pausing now was necessary.
"Thanks for watching today, everyone."
Before ending the trial.
Soo-hyuk greeted his stream viewers.
Viewers steadily increasing.
He'd just been resting until fatigue hit 0—why were they growing?
Disappointment and complaints flooded chat.
'Should've ended the stream first.'
Definitely disorienting for viewers waiting for his recovery to see the next stage.
A seasoned streamer would've anticipated and ended early.
Soo-hyuk's mistake from focusing too much on the trial, neglecting the stream.
"Sorry. I'll announce ahead next time."
"Next stream after a day off."
Greetings continued. After a brief pause, Soo-hyuk ended the trial and stream simultaneously.
Swoosh-.
With the trial over, the scenery vanished. Back to the stark white room of the floor 2 trial grounds.
Walking toward the trial gate, Soo-hyuk pulled the kit from his pocket.
'Not bad for day one?'
The trial itself was mostly expected stuff, no worries. But the stream bothered him.
No clue if the first button was sewn right, no benchmarks.
Half expectant, half anxious, as he activated the kit to log into the streaming link.
That's when.
A message arrived at Soo-hyuk's Players ID.
Long message.
Shedding his stuffy mask, Soo-hyuk tilted his head.
"Enter...?"