Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Just a Scout?
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'Just a scout?'
That was the first thought that crossed his mind upon hearing the question.
Lately, Lee Soo-hyuk had been receiving overtures from scouts of various guilds.
Their goal was singular: to recruit Soo-hyuk into their guild by any means necessary.
"I've already answered that question in the email I sent."
It had seemed suspicious.
A viewer with a nickname he'd never seen before—one who hadn't even changed their default name—suddenly donating such a massive amount of points.
Convinced it was a scout, Soo-hyuk replied.
"If you really want, I can check the email you sent again. Though I doubt my answer has changed."
But sensing the mood shift, a quick reply came back.
Visibly flustered, the sponsorships kept coming.
The sponsorship messages rang out one after another.
A gradient of rage-fueled sponsorships.
Soo-hyuk was flustered by the sponsorship messages in return.
'Not really a scout?'
It was awkward.
Openly cursing "shitty fucking guild" via sponsorships made it seem like a genuine misunderstanding. No real scout would say something like that, even if lying.
He was the one who had misunderstood first, and now he needed to calm the viewer down.
"No, I mean... Sorry for the misunderstanding. I hate Blue Zone too... Wait, should I not say that? It's not your fault, basicnick... Just calm down first..."
The sponsorships continued afterward.
The points were welcome, but the situation was a string of awkward moments. Still, it didn't feel all that bad.
Soo-hyuk nodded.
"Yes. Sorry for not recognizing a big spender like you."
Regardless, if not a scout, q1w2e3r4 was a viewer a streamer absolutely had to keep.
Someone willing to donate such huge sums without hesitation was undoubtedly a massive whale.
"Sure. Anything as long as it doesn't interfere with the trial."
The stream had started with generous donations, so he could fulfill most requests.
As long as it wasn't something weird like that 'pikakin' from earlier.
But then.
q1w2e3r4 made an even weirder request.
A somewhat bewildering request.
But somehow, he felt like he'd get along great with this viewer.
"Feels like we're just teasing Soo-hyuk."
Ye-ryeong giggled under the covers. Soo-hyuk's flustered reactions were so fun she kept tapping away at her kit.
She was starting to understand why people made expensive donations on streams. Seeing the streamer react to her words felt almost like chatting face-to-face.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed like this.
For a brief moment—a hundredth of a second, even—it felt like the dead Soo-hyuk had come back to life and was talking with her.
'I teased him so much back then too.'
Ye-ryeong would often pretend to be upset, and Soo-hyuk would try hard to cheer her up. It got so fun that later she'd fake anger just to mess with him.
"Hey, Ye-ryeong!"
The door she'd locked burst open, and Si-woo stormed in.
Ye-ryeong, buried under the blanket, jumped up in surprise.
Si-woo held a Players kit just like hers.
"This you?"
"W-what's me?"
"The sponsorship on Soo-hyuk's stream. It's you, right?"
Ye-ryeong played innocent.
"No!"
"Don't lie. If it's not you, who is it?"
"How should I know?"
"Give me the kit. You got points overflowing or what?"
"No way!"
The two instantly turned into kids. Ye-ryeong dashed around the cabin to keep her kit from being snatched, while Si-woo chased after her, his slow feet moving frantically.
But fortunately, Ye-ryeong didn't vanish. He'd thought she might disappear the moment he broke in.
Finally giving up on grabbing her, Si-woo stood there dejectedly and raised both hands.
A sign of surrender.
'She's feeling a bit better.'
Ye-ryeong, stuck upside down on the ceiling, stuck her tongue out at Si-woo. He let out a small chuckle at the childish taunt.
Both he and she had chosen to escape this incident. And comically, they'd ended up at the same escape spot.
"Time to get up now."
That's where Si-woo finally got Ye-ryeong to rise.
"The planned day isn't far off. We can't keep moping like this."
The promised date was approaching, and time was still ticking.
"We lost Gyu-seong... but we have to go find Hyeo-min."
"I know."
"Then come down. Stop watching the stream."
Swoosh—.
No sooner had he spoken than Ye-ryeong dropped from the ceiling.
"You saw the map and now you're nagging."
"Oh, right."
"And we agreed not to nag each other about watching streams, remember?"
"The situation's different now. Why sponsor? Ugh, whatever."
"Why? It's fun. Wanna try?"
"Pass."
He said it like he wasn't interested, but he was actually curious.
Streamer Lee Soo-hyuk. He'd always piqued his interest. If not for this situation, he'd want to meet him and ask.
How do you know my friend so well?
"Kim Il-su you bastard."
The kit in Si-woo's hand was still playing the stream audio.
Though it was the viewer's request, it felt refreshing inside. He could publicly curse Kim Il-su in front of all these people.
'Feels good.'
His gratitude doubled as a result. Since it was a viewer request tied to sponsorship points, this statement wouldn't cause separate issues.
Wanting to curse even more refreshingly if possible, Soo-hyuk cautiously asked.
"Any more requests?"
He waited a bit, but no reply came.
The viewer who donated 1,000 points per word had suddenly vanished.
"Q1w2e3r4? Hello?"
Soo-hyuk scratched his head in disappointment.
"Did they really leave...?"
Viewers unaware of the circumstances assumed Soo-hyuk's reaction was purely for the points.
Of course, that wasn't entirely untrue.
It was a shame, but nothing to be done.
He couldn't keep waiting for q1w2e3r4 forever.
"I talked more than usual today."
Step—.
Soo-hyuk slowly took a step toward the portal.
"Thanks for waiting, everyone."
80,000.
A number that no longer surprised him. It would probably grow even more as the stream continued.
There was only one thing all these viewers wanted to see.
To participate in the historic moments Lee Soo-hyuk experienced. And to feel that time together in real-time.
"Starting the trial."
Flash—!
With a burst of light, he felt every sensation in his body refresh.
The air's temperature, the textures and feel on his skin, even the positions of his hands and feet—everything had changed.
It was as if he'd closed his eyes and opened them in a completely different world. And that's exactly what happened.
When he opened his eyes, Soo-hyuk was staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling.
'Where's this?'
He scanned the surroundings with slightly parted eyes.
Walls adorned with golden curves. A chandelier emitting a soft, eye-friendly glow. A pleasant fragrance filling the room and marble floors.
Even the warm, cozy blanket wrapping his body—it felt like the perfect resting spot.
The previous trial hadn't been broadcast.
The world where Odin had imprisoned Thor had been designated a 'no-broadcast zone' by his power.
'Lucky this time.'
Checking the chat, Soo-hyuk let out a sigh of relief.
He'd worried the broadcast might fail again, but fortunately, no such issue arose.
With the location changed, the restrictions seemed lifted too. The trial there had ended with breaking Thor's Mjolnir.
"This place is..."
He was about to say he didn't know either when.
"Asgard."
A sweet voice he'd never heard before tickled his ears.
A subtle bronze skin tone. Neat golden bob hair down to her shoulders.
The woman with sharp, intense eyes exuded a 'warrior' vibe despite her slender frame.
"...apparently."
For now, Soo-hyuk finished his sentence.
Asgard, huh.
He'd wondered when he'd have to go there annoyingly, but completing Thor's trial skipped him straight there.
"I was ordered to protect you while you were unconscious. Glad you're awake."
Step—.
She approached Soo-hyuk.
"How's your body feeling?"
Instead of answering, Soo-hyuk stared intently at her face as she leaned in close.
The chat was filled entirely with comments about the woman's beauty.
With a Viola-level beauty appearing right as the broadcast started, the reaction was explosive.
Soo-hyuk pondered who she was. A familiar face. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to recall.
"Brunhilde?"
"You've taken Valhalla's trial, I see."
Brunhilde. Leader of the Valkyries that Viola belonged to, and Odin's strongest sword.
She immediately understood how he'd recognized her.
"You must have passed admirably. Otherwise, Tyr wouldn't have brought you here himself."
'Tyr?'
The one who brought him was Tyr?
Strange. The last trial had clearly been Odin's.
"Thor..."
He was about to ask what happened to Thor when.
A voice echoed in his head.
The transmitted voice made Soo-hyuk reflexively shut his mouth.
Creeeak—.
The door opened, and someone entered. Brunhilde bowed her head to the god who came from beyond the door.
"You've arrived?"
"Tch, up already, huh."
Tyr entered the room with hands behind his back. Passing Brunhilde, he looked down at Soo-hyuk and asked.
"Exhausted just from Valhalla's trial... Humans really are weak."
"Pardon?"
Just Valhalla's trial?
That wasn't the trial he'd taken. Squinting just in case, Tyr subtly shook his head.
Thor awakening was still a secret, it seemed.